Shloka 28
दुर्योधनस्य बलिवर्णनम् — Duryodhana’s Description of Tribute at the Rājasūya
तथा हि रत्नान्यादाय विविधानि नृपा नृपम् | उपातिष्ठन्त कौन्तेयं वैश्या इव करप्रदा:
tathā hi ratnāny ādāya vividhāni nṛpā nṛpam | upātiṣṭhanta kaunteyaṃ vaiśyā iva karapradāḥ ||
तथा हि रत्नान्यादाय विविधानि नृपा नृपम् । उपातिष्ठन्त कौन्तेयं वैश्या इव करप्रदाः ॥
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how visible signs of sovereignty—tribute, attendance, and offerings—signal political supremacy; ethically, it also exposes how envy can distort perception, as Duryodhana frames voluntary homage as mere tax-like submission.
Duryodhana describes the scene of many kings approaching Yudhiṣṭhira with diverse jewels, attending him in a manner comparable to merchants bringing taxes to a ruler—emphasizing Yudhiṣṭhira’s imperial stature and the grandeur of his court.