Shloka 2
Adhyāya 48 — Duryodhana’s Account of Tribute and the Provisioned Court (सभा पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
विधान विविधाकारं परं तेषां विधानत: । अनेकैरशभ्युपायैश्न त्वया न शकिता: पुरा
vidhānaṃ vividhākāraṃ paraṃ teṣāṃ vidhānataḥ | anekair aśabhyupāyaiś na tvayā na śakitāḥ purā ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Aturan dan susunan mereka itu unggul, beraneka rupa, dibentuk dengan kemahiran yang sempurna. Namun dahulu engkau tidak mampu menewaskan mereka—walaupun dengan banyak helah yang tidak wajar dan hina.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral contrast: excellence in orderly planning and capability is acknowledged even in rivals, while reliance on “aśabhya” (improper) means is implicitly criticized as ethically tainted and ultimately ineffective.
Duryodhana speaks about the opposing side’s superior arrangements and notes that, in the past, the addressee could not defeat them even by employing numerous questionable tactics—underscoring both their competence and the speaker’s frustration.