Shloka 15
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
अम्बष्ठा: कौकुरास्तार्क्ष्या वस्त्रपा: पह्ववैः सह । वशातलाश्च मौलेया: सह क्षुद्रकमालवै:
ambaṣṭhāḥ kaukurās tārkṣyā vastrapāḥ pahvavaiḥ saha | vaśātalāś ca mauleyāḥ saha kṣudrakamālavaiḥ ||
அம்பஷ்டர், கௌகுரர், தார்க்ஷ்யர், வஸ்த்ரபர்—பஹ்வவருடன்; மேலும் வஷாதலர், மௌலேயர்—க்ஷுத்ரக-மாலவருடன் (இவர்களும் உள்ளனர்).
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how political ambition can treat communities as mere entries in a ledger of strength. In the Sabha Parva’s moral atmosphere, such counting and comparison often signals attachment to power and status rather than a dharma-centered view of kingship.
Duryodhana is speaking and enumerating various peoples/tribes, grouping them with “saha” (together with). The passage functions as part of a broader catalog of regional groups relevant to the court’s political-military calculations in the Sabha Parva.