Shloka 12
असंतोष ही लक्ष्मीकी प्राप्तिका मूल कारण है; अतः मैं असंतोष चाहता हूँ। राजन्! जो अपनी उन्नतिके लिये प्रयत्न करता है, उसका वह प्रयत्न ही सर्वोत्तम नीति है ।।
asaṁtoṣo hi lakṣmyāḥ prāptikā mūla-kāraṇam; ataḥ aham asaṁtoṣam icchāmi. rājan! yaḥ svasyonnatyai prayatate, tasya sa prayatna eva śreṣṭhā nītiḥ. mamatvaṁ hi na kartavyam aiśvarye vā dhane ’pi vā; pūrvāvāptaṁ haranty anye—rāja-dharma hi taṁ viduḥ.
ດຸຣະໂຍທະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຄວາມບໍ່ພໍໃຈແມ່ນເຫດຮາກຂອງການໄດ້ມາຊຶ່ງຄວາມຮັ່ງມີ; ດັ່ງນັ້ນຂ້າພະເຈົ້າເລືອກຢູ່ກັບຄວາມບໍ່ພໍໃຈ. ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ! ສຳລັບຜູ້ທີ່ພາກພຽນເພື່ອຍົກຕົນ ການພາກພຽນນັ້ນແຫຼະແມ່ນນະໂຍບາຍທີ່ດີທີ່ສຸດ. ບໍ່ຄວນຍຶດຕິດດ້ວຍຄວາມເປັນເຈົ້າໃນອຳນາດຫຼືຊັບສິນ; ເພາະສິ່ງທີ່ໄດ້ມາແຕ່ກ່ອນ ຄົນອື່ນອາດຊິງໄປດ້ວຍກຳລັງ. ນີ້ແຫຼະທີ່ເຂົາເຂົ້າໃຈວ່າເປັນທາງແຫ່ງຣາຊະທຳ.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a hard-edged political ethic: prosperity is driven by persistent dissatisfaction and effort, while attachment to wealth or sovereignty is portrayed as unwise because power and property are unstable and can be seized. It contrasts ‘striving’ (prayatna) as the best nīti with the futility of possessiveness (mamatva) in royal life.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana articulates his worldview to the king he addresses: he justifies relentless ambition and frames the competitive, coercive nature of kingship as normal ‘rāja-dharma.’ The statement reveals his mindset—restless desire for increase and a readiness to accept force and dispossession as part of political order.