Shloka 11
असंतोष: श्रियो मूलं तस्मात् तं कामयाम्यहम् । समुच्छूये यो यतते स राजन् परमो नयः
asaṃtoṣaḥ śriyo mūlaṃ tasmāt taṃ kāmayāmy aham | samucchūye yo yatate sa rājan paramo nayaḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Ketidakpuasan adalah akar kemakmuran; karena itu aku menginginkan semangat itu. Wahai raja, kebijakan tertinggi ialah ini: siapa yang berjuang untuk terus naik lebih tinggi—dialah yang menempuh jalan paling utama.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a hard-edged nīti claim: prosperity is driven by asaṃtoṣa—restless dissatisfaction that pushes one to keep advancing. It frames continual striving for higher status as “supreme policy,” highlighting an ethic of ambition rather than contentment.
Duryodhana is articulating his political outlook to a kingly interlocutor, justifying relentless upward striving as the best strategy. In the Sabha Parva context, this reflects his competitive, status-driven mindset that fuels rivalry and escalates conflict.