Shloka 17
Dyūta-āhvāna: Śakuni’s Proposal, Vidura’s Warning, and the Summons of Yudhiṣṭhira
Sabhā-parva 51
द्ययक्षांस्त्रयक्षॉल्ललाटाक्षान् नानादिग्भ्य: समागतान् | औष्णीकानन्तवासांश्व॒ रोमकान् पुरुषादकान्,द्रयक्ष, त््यक्ष, ललाटाक्ष, औष्णीक, अन्तवास, रोमक, पुरुषादक तथा एकपाद--इन देशोंके राजा नाना दिशाओंसे आकर राजद्वारपर रोक दिये जानेके कारण खड़े थे, यह मैंने अपनी आँखों देखा था। ये राजालोग भेंट-सामग्री लेकर आये थे और अपने साथ अनेक रंगवाले बहुत-से दूरगामी गधे (खच्चर) लाये थे, जिनकी गर्दन काली और शरीर विशाल थे। उनकी संख्या दस हजार थी। वे सभी रासभ सिखलाये हुए तथा सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें विख्यात थे
dṛṣṭavān asmi tri-yakṣān lalāṭākṣān nānā-digbhyaḥ samāgatān | auṣṇīkān antavāsāṃś ca romakān puruṣādakān ||
Sinabi ni Duryodhana: “Ako mismo ang nakakita sa mga haring iyon—ang mga Triyakṣa, Lalāṭākṣa, Auṣṇīka, Antavāsa, Romaka, at Puruṣādaka—na nagmula sa iba’t ibang panig. Nahadlangan sa tarangkahan ng palasyo, nakatayo sila roon na may dalang tributo, kasama ang maraming mabilis at malalayong-biyahe na mga asnong pangkarga na sari-sari ang kulay, maiitim ang leeg at malalaki ang katawan, tanyag sa lahat ng dako at sanay na sanay.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political power is displayed through tribute and public spectacle; ethically, it points to the danger of pride and envy—seeing others’ prosperity and alliances can inflame rivalry and lead to adharma-driven decisions.
Duryodhana reports what he personally witnessed: many foreign or frontier kings, identified by their ethnonyms, arrived from different directions with gifts and trained pack-animals, but were held at the royal gate—an image of a vast network of submission/attendance and the court’s controlled access.