Shloka 29
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
ऊरु गजकराकारं करेणाभिजघान स: | दुर्योधन: स्मितं कृत्वा चरणेनोल्लिखन् महीम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन! मैत्रेयजी जब इस प्रकार कह रहे थे, उस समय दुर्योधनने मुसकराकर हाथीके सूँड़के समान अपनी जाँघको हाथसे ठोंका और पैरसे पृथ्वीको कुरेदने लगा
ūru gajakarākāraṃ kareṇābhijaghāna saḥ | duryodhanaḥ smitaṃ kṛtvā caraṇenollikhan mahīm ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Mientras Maitreya hablaba así, Duryodhana—sonriendo—se golpeó el muslo con la mano, como si fuera la trompa de un elefante, y con el pie comenzó a raspar la tierra. Aquel gesto señalaba una desafiante soberbia y un desprecio por el consejo, presagiando cómo el orgullo endurece el corazón contra la advertencia guiada por el dharma.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how arrogance and mockery can make a person unreceptive to wise counsel. Ethical guidance (dharma) is not only about hearing advice but also about the humility to accept it; Duryodhana’s gestures embody the opposite disposition.
While Maitreya is speaking, Duryodhana responds nonverbally: he smiles, slaps his thigh with his hand (likened to an elephant’s trunk), and scrapes the ground with his foot—an expression of insolent confidence and contempt rather than respectful attention.