Shloka 18
दुर्योधनस्य लज्जा-प्रायोपवेशविचारः
Duryodhana’s Shame and Consideration of Prāyopaveśa
समस्थो विषमस्थान् हि दुर्हददो योडभिवीक्षते । जगतीस्थानिवाद्रिस्थ: किमत: परमं सुखम्,'जैसे पर्वतकी चोटीपर खड़ा हुआ मनुष्य भूतलपर स्थित हुई सभी वस्तुओंको नीची और छोटी देखता है, उसी प्रकार जो पुरुष स्वयं सुखमें रहकर शत्रुओंको संकटमें पड़ा हुआ देखता है, उसके लिये इससे बढ़कर सुखकी बात और क्या होगी?
samastho viṣamasthān hi durhṛdado yo 'bhivīkṣate | jagatīsthān ivādristhaḥ kim ataḥ paramaṃ sukham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “What happiness could be greater than this—that a man, himself secure and at ease, looks upon his ill-wishers fallen into distress? Just as one standing on a mountain peak sees all things on the plain below as low and small, so does the person established in comfort view those set in adversity.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common but ethically fraught human tendency: taking pleasure in the misfortune of enemies. By using the mountain-peak metaphor, it portrays how security and superiority can breed contempt and a sense of triumph over others’ distress—implicitly inviting reflection on whether such ‘happiness’ aligns with higher dharma.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, states a general maxim: a person who is himself comfortable feels a heightened satisfaction when he sees hostile people in trouble, likening this to a man on a mountain who views everything on the plain as small and low.