Shloka 15
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
भारत! संतोष लक्ष्मी और अभिमानका नाश कर देता है। दया और भय--ये दोनों भी वैसे ही हैं। इन (संतोषादि)-से युक्त मनुष्य कभी ऊँचा पद नहीं पा सकता ।।
bhārata! santoṣaḥ lakṣmīm abhīmānaṃ ca nāśayati. dayā bhayaṃ ca—ete ubhe api tathaiva. ebhiḥ (santoṣādibhiḥ) yukto manuṣyaḥ kadācana uccaṃ padaṃ na prāpnoti. na māṃ prīṇāti madbhuktaṃ śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā yudhiṣṭhire, ati-jvalantīṃ kaunteya, vivarṇa-karaṇīṃ mama.
Duryodhana declara que la satisfacción destruye tanto la prosperidad como el orgullo; del mismo modo, la compasión y el miedo socavan el ascenso mundano. Un hombre gobernado por tales cualidades, dice, jamás alcanza un alto puesto. Luego, volviéndose hacia Yudhiṣṭhira, confiesa su envidia: «Oh hijo de Kuntī, al ver la fortuna real, tan fulgurante, de Yudhiṣṭhira, mi comida ya no me complace; ese esplendor parece robar el color de mi rostro.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exposes the moral blindness of envy: Duryodhana treats virtues like contentment and compassion as obstacles to worldly rise, revealing a value-system driven by ambition and pride. His inability to enjoy even food upon seeing another’s prosperity illustrates how jealousy consumes inner peace and corrodes ethical judgment.
In the royal assembly context, Duryodhana reacts to Yudhiṣṭhira’s flourishing sovereignty and honor. He openly admits that Yudhiṣṭhira’s radiant fortune torments him—so much that his own meal brings no pleasure—signaling the deep resentment that will fuel later hostility.