Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
आच्छादयसि प्रावारानश्रासि विशदौदनम् | आजानेया वहन्त्यश्वा: केनासि हरिण: कृश:,तुम बहुमूल्य वस्त्र ओढ़ते-पहनते हो, बढ़िया विशुद्ध भात खाते हो तथा अच्छी जातिके घोड़े तुम्हारी सवारीमें रहते हैं; फिर किस दुःखसे तुम सफेद और दुबले हो गये हो?
ācchādayasi prāvārān aśnāsi viśadāudanam | ājāneyā vahanty aśvāḥ kenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—“तू बहुमोल वस्त्रे परिधान करतोस, उत्तम शुद्ध भात खातोस, आणि उत्तम वंशाचे घोडे तुला वाहतात; मग कोणत्या शोकाने तू हरिणासारखा फिकट व कृश झाला आहेस?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Outer prosperity—fine clothing, pure food, and noble conveyance—does not guarantee inner well-being. The verse highlights how grief and anxiety can wither a person despite material comfort, prompting an ethical, compassionate inquiry into the true cause of suffering.
The speaker observes someone who appears materially well-provided—wearing costly mantles, eating refined rice, and riding with noble horses—yet looks pale and emaciated. He asks what sorrow or distress has caused this visible decline, setting up a disclosure of the person’s inner trouble.