Shloka 23
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
राजा चित्ररथो नाम गन्धर्वो वासवानुग: । शतानि चत्वार्यददद्धयानां वातरंहसाम्,इन्द्रके अनुगामी गन्धर्वराज चित्ररथने चार सौ दिव्य अश्व दिये, जो वायुके समान वेगशाली थे
rājā citraratho nāma gandharvo vāsavānugaḥ | śatāni catvāry adadad dhayānāṃ vātarāṃhasām ||
Duryodhana dit : «Il est un roi des Gandharvas nommé Citraratha, fidèle de Vāsava (Indra). Il a donné quatre cents chevaux, rapides comme le vent.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly authority often expresses itself through spectacular gifts and associations with powerful beings; ethically, it invites reflection on whether prestige and acquisition are being pursued in harmony with dharma or merely to inflate status.
Duryodhana refers to the Gandharva-king Citraratha, aligned with Indra, and mentions that Citraratha granted four hundred exceptionally swift horses—an example of extraordinary resources and honor being brought into the royal sphere.