Shloka 26
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
वस्त्रमुत्कर्षति मयि प्राहसत् स वृकोदर: । शत्रोऋद्धिविशेषेण विमूढं रत्नवर्जितम्
vastram utkarṣati mayi prāhasat sa vṛkodaraḥ | śatro ṛddhi-viśeṣeṇa vimūḍhaṁ ratna-varjitam |
Duryodhana dit : «Quand je relevai mon vêtement, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) éclata de rire à mes dépens. Égaré par l’extraordinaire splendeur de l’ennemi, je demeurai là—dépouillé tout à la fois de mes joyaux et de ma dignité.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how pride and envy distort judgment: dazzled by another’s prosperity, Duryodhana becomes confused and then wounded by ridicule. The ethical warning is that obsession with status and comparison breeds resentment and future wrongdoing.
In the hall famed for its deceptive craftsmanship, Duryodhana mistakes an apparent body of water and lifts his garment to step in; Bhīma mocks him with loud laughter. Duryodhana recounts this as a moment of public embarrassment that intensifies his hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas.