Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ते वयं पाण्डवधनै: सर्वान्‌ सम्पूज्य पार्थिवान्‌ यदि तान्‌ योधयिष्याम: किं वै नः परिहास्यति

Transliteration

te vayaṁ pāṇḍava-dhanaiḥ sarvān sampūjya pārthivān | yadi tān yodhayiṣyāmaḥ kiṁ vai naḥ parihāsyati mahārāja ||

Translation

“Wahai Maharaja, jika kita menggunakan harta Pāṇḍava untuk memuliakan semua raja dan menarik mereka ke pihak kita, lalu berperang melawan Pāṇḍava, apakah mudaratnya bagi kita? Siapa lagi berani memperolok kita?”

Word by Word

• ते: those (kings)
• ते: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Plural

• पाण्डवधनैः: with the Pāṇḍavas' wealth
• पाण्डवधनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव-धन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सम्पूज्य: having honored
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-पूज्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active

• पार्थिवान्: kings
• पार्थिवान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• योधयिष्यामः: we shall cause to fight / make (them) fight
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (causative: योधय-)
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), 1st, Plural, Parasmaipada, Causative

• किम्: what?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• नः: to us / for us
• नः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive/Dative (enclitic), Plural

• परिहास्यति: will mock / will laugh at
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-हस्
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Mahārāja (addressed king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)
• Pāṇḍavas
• Pārthivāḥ (kings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an adharma-driven mindset: treating wealth, honor, and alliances as manipulable instruments for domination. It implicitly warns that success gained by exploiting others’ rightful prosperity and by commodifying respect corrodes moral order and escalates conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana proposes using the Pāṇḍavas’ wealth (won and displayed in the royal context) to honor and attract other kings, forming a coalition, and then turning that gathered force against the Pāṇḍavas—framing it as risk-free and socially unassailable.