Mahabharata 1.136.16 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 136, Shloka 16
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
दुर्योधन उवाच भुड्क्ष्य भोगान् मया सार्ध बन्धूनां पियकृद् भव । दुर्हदां कुरु सर्वेषां मूर्थ्नि पादमरिंदम
duryodhana uvāca | bhuṅkṣva bhogān mayā sārdhaṁ bandhūnāṁ priyakṛd bhava | dṛḍhahṛdāṁ kuru sarveṣāṁ mūrdhni pādam ariṁdama ||
ദുര്യോധനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“അരിന്ദമാ! എന്റെ കൂടെ ഭോഗങ്ങൾ അനുഭവിക്ക. ബന്ധുക്കൾക്കു പ്രിയങ്കരനാക; ദൃഢമായി എതിർക്കുന്ന എല്ലാവരുടെയും ശിരസ്സിന്മേൽ നിന്റെ പാദം വെക്ക.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a political-ethical temptation: the promise of pleasure and status, coupled with a call to secure internal loyalty and crush opposition. In Mahābhārata’s moral landscape, such counsel often contrasts with dharma-centered restraint, warning how desire for bhoga (enjoyment) and domination can drive adharma and escalation of conflict.
Duryodhana is exhorting an addressed warrior (called ‘ariṁdama’, “subduer of foes”) to align with him: to share in royal enjoyments, win over kinsmen, and assert supremacy over steadfast opponents—an attempt to consolidate support and encourage aggressive dominance.
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