Shloka 16
दुर्योधनेन पृथिवी क्षयिता वित्तकारणात् । कोशश्चापि विशीर्णोडसौ धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्मते:,दुर्योधनने धनके लोभसे समस्त भूमण्डलका संहार कराया; किन्तु धन मिलना तो दूर रहा, उस दुर्बुद्धिका अपना खजाना भी खाली हो गया
duryodhanena pṛthivī kṣayitā vittakāraṇāt | kośaś cāpi viśīrṇo 'sau dhārtarāṣṭrasya durmateḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “For the sake of wealth, Duryodhana brought the earth to ruin; and yet that evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra ended with his own treasury shattered and emptied. Thus greed, which destroys others, finally destroys the greedy as well.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed for wealth (lobha) leads to adharma and widespread ruin, and ultimately rebounds upon the greedy person himself—destroying even what he sought to gain.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the cause and outcome of the great conflict: Duryodhana’s wealth-driven ambition devastated the realm, yet he failed to secure lasting gain and ended with his own resources and power exhausted.