Shloka 24
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
एतां दृष्टवा श्रियं पार्थे हरिश्वन्द्रे यथा विभो । कथं तु जीवितं श्रेयो मम पश्यसि भारत
etāṁ dṛṣṭvā śriyaṁ pārthe hariścandre yathā vibho | kathaṁ tu jīvitaṁ śreyo mama paśyasi bhārata bhārata ||
Dijo Duryodhana: «¡Oh Bhārata! Al ver este esplendor real de Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira), como el del rey Hariścandra, ¿cómo puedes considerar mejor que yo siga viviendo? ¿Qué valor puede tener mi vida ante tal prosperidad?»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how envy and wounded pride can distort judgment: instead of responding to another’s success with restraint or ethical reflection, Duryodhana treats it as an existential humiliation. It foreshadows how unchecked jealousy becomes a driver of adharma and conflict.
In the Sabha context, Duryodhana witnesses Yudhiṣṭhira’s extraordinary royal prosperity and prestige. Overwhelmed by resentment, he addresses an elder as “Bhārata,” declaring that seeing such splendor makes his own life feel pointless—an emotional outburst that signals his growing hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas.