Shloka 15
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
अम्बष्ठा: कौकुरास्तार्क्ष्या वस्त्रपा: पह्ववैः सह । वशातलाश्च मौलेया: सह क्षुद्रकमालवै:
ambaṣṭhāḥ kaukurās tārkṣyā vastrapāḥ pahvavaiḥ saha | vaśātalāś ca mauleyāḥ saha kṣudrakamālavaiḥ ||
अम्बष्ठ, कौकुर, तार्क्ष्य, वस्त्रप—पह्ववों सहित; और वशातल तथा मौलेय—क्षुद्रक-मालवों सहित (भी हैं)।
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how political ambition can treat communities as mere entries in a ledger of strength. In the Sabha Parva’s moral atmosphere, such counting and comparison often signals attachment to power and status rather than a dharma-centered view of kingship.
Duryodhana is speaking and enumerating various peoples/tribes, grouping them with “saha” (together with). The passage functions as part of a broader catalog of regional groups relevant to the court’s political-military calculations in the Sabha Parva.