Shloka 16
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
सपत्नानृध्यतो55त्मानं हीयमानं निशम्य च | अदृश्यामपि कौन्तेयश्रियं पश्यन्निवोद्यताम्
sapatnān ṛdhyato ’tmānaṃ hīyamānaṃ niśamya ca | adṛśyām api kaunteya-śriyaṃ paśyann ivodyatām ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Apabila seseorang melihat para seteru makmur sedangkan dirinya merosot, hendaklah ia bangkit segera, seolah-olah sedang menyaksikan kemuliaan dan tuah kaum Kaunteya—walaupun tuah itu tidak tampak di hadapan mata—agar ia bertindak tanpa berlengah.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a psychologically charged ethic of action driven by comparison: when rivals flourish and one’s own position wanes, one is urged to rouse oneself to decisive effort. In context, it reflects Duryodhana’s competitive, envy-tinged motivation rather than a dharmic ideal.
Duryodhana reacts to the rising prosperity and prestige of the Kaunteyas (Pāṇḍavas). Observing their success and sensing his own relative decline, he urges immediate resolve and action—an impulse that fuels the political maneuvers and hostility that follow in the Sabha Parva.