Shloka 21
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
हिमवत्सागरानूपा: सर्वे रत्नाकरास्तथा | अन्त्या: सर्वे पर्युदस्ता युधिषछ्िरनिवेशने,हिमालय प्रदेश तथा समुद्री द्वीपोंक रहनेवाले और रत्नोंकी खानोंके सभी अधिपति म्लेच्छजातीय नरेश युधिष्ठिरके घरमें प्रवेश करने नहीं पाते थे, उन्हें महलसे दूर ही ठहराया गया था
himavat-sāgarānūpāḥ sarve ratnākarās tathā | antyāḥ sarve paryudastā yudhiṣṭhira-niveśane ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Semua raja dari wilayah Himalaya, dari pesisir laut dan daerah-daerah tepi sungai, serta mereka yang berkaitan dengan lombong-lombong permata—bahkan semua raja yang dianggap ‘paling di pinggir’—telah ditahan pada jarak tertentu dan tidak dibenarkan masuk ke kediaman Yudhiṣṭhira.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power and prestige can produce exclusion: even under a celebrated imperial ceremony, some groups are treated as outsiders. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether royal grandeur aligns with fairness and hospitality, or whether it reinforces social boundaries.
During the description of Yudhiṣṭhira’s grand court/assembly arrangements, Duryodhana points out that certain rulers from distant border regions (Himalayan, coastal, riverine, and jewel-mine areas) were not permitted to enter the palace and were made to stay at a distance—an observation used to frame court hierarchy and, indirectly, rivalry and resentment.