Shloka 13
Adhyāya 48 — Duryodhana’s Account of Tribute and the Provisioned Court (सभा पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
दुर्योधन उवाच त्वया च सहितो राजजन्ेतैश्षान्यैर्महारथै: । एतानेव विजेष्यामि यदि त्वमनुमन्यसे
duryodhana uvāca | tvayā ca sahito rājan etaiś cānyair mahārathaiḥ | etān eva vijeṣyāmi yadi tvam anumanyase ||
Duryodhana disse: “Ó Rei, se o permitires, então, contigo ao meu lado — e com estes outros grandes guerreiros de carro, como Drona — conquistarei em batalha estes mesmos Pāṇḍavas. Uma vez derrotados, toda a terra, todos os reis e aquele salão de assembleia imensamente rico passarão de imediato ao nosso domínio.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how craving for power and possessions can drive one to seek moral cover through authority’s consent. Duryodhana frames aggression as contingent on the king’s approval, revealing the ethical danger of legitimizing unjust aims through formal permission.
Duryodhana addresses the king, proposing that, supported by him and other leading warriors, he will defeat the Pāṇḍavas in battle. He argues that their defeat will bring the earth, subordinate kings, and the wealthy assembly-hall under Kaurava control.