Shloka 9
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
आच्छादयसि प्रावारानश्रासि विशदौदनम् | आजानेया वहन्त्यश्वा: केनासि हरिण: कृश:
ācchādayasi prāvārān aśnāsi viśadāudanam | ājāneyā vahanty aśvāḥ kenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Te cubres con mantos costosos, comes arroz blanco fino y puro, y caballos de noble estirpe te llevan cuando cabalgas. ¿Por qué pena, entonces, te has vuelto pálido y enjuto como un ciervo?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outer prosperity—fine clothing, pure food, and noble conveyance—does not guarantee inner well-being. The verse highlights how grief and anxiety can wither a person despite material comfort, prompting an ethical, compassionate inquiry into the true cause of suffering.
The speaker observes someone who appears materially well-provided—wearing costly mantles, eating refined rice, and riding with noble horses—yet looks pale and emaciated. He asks what sorrow or distress has caused this visible decline, setting up a disclosure of the person’s inner trouble.