Shloka 29
Dyūta-āhvāna: Śakuni’s Proposal, Vidura’s Warning, and the Summons of Yudhiṣṭhira
Sabhā-parva 51
रसान् गन्धांश्व विविधान् रत्नानि च सहस्रश: । बलिं च कृत्स्नमादाय द्वारि तिष्ठन्ति वारिता:
rasān gandhāṁś ca vividhān ratnāni ca sahasraśaḥ | baliṁ ca kṛtsnam ādāya dvāri tiṣṭhanti vāritāḥ ||
Apportant des mets délicats et des parfums de toutes sortes, et des joyaux par milliers, portant le tribut tout entier, ils demeurent au seuil—retenus, sans qu’on les laisse entrer.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how control over access and protocol can become an instrument of power and humiliation: even rightful tribute and gifts lose their meaning when people are deliberately barred, revealing the ethical danger of envy and the misuse of authority.
Duryodhana describes a scene in which bearers of tribute—laden with delicacies, perfumes, and countless jewels—arrive with the full offering but are stopped at the very gate, forced to wait outside, underscoring a grievance about exclusion and the politics of the court.