Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
येषामामं च पक्वं च संविधत्ते युधिष्ठिर: । मेरे शत्रुओंके घरमें राजाओंद्वारा लाये हुए बहुत-से छोटे-बड़े उपहारोंको देखकर दुःखसे मुझे मरनेकी इच्छा होती थी। राजन! पाण्डवोंके वहाँ जिन लोगोंका भरण-पोषण होता है
yeṣām āmaṃ ca pakvaṃ ca saṃvidhatte yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | ayutaṃ trīṇi padmāni gajārohāḥ sasādinaḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Bagi semua orang itu, Raja Yudhiṣṭhira menyediakan bekalan mentah dan juga hidangan yang telah dimasak. Jumlahnya amat besar: tiga ayuta dan tiga padma para pahlawan—penunggang gajah bersama penunggang kuda.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
The passage contrasts dharmic kingship—Yudhiṣṭhira’s large-hearted provision and hospitality—with adharma-driven emotion—Duryodhana’s envy and resentment. Ethical strength is shown not merely in wealth, but in using it to sustain others; moral failure appears when another’s virtue becomes a cause for hatred rather than inspiration.
In the Sabha Parva, Duryodhana describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the immense scale of Yudhiṣṭhira’s court and the Pandavas’ prosperity. He notes that Yudhiṣṭhira arranges both provisions and prepared meals for vast numbers, including military contingents (elephant-riders and cavalry), and this spectacle intensifies Duryodhana’s jealousy and antagonism.