Shloka 9
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
आच्छादयसि प्रावारानश्रासि विशदौदनम् | आजानेया वहन्त्यश्वा: केनासि हरिण: कृश:,तुम बहुमूल्य वस्त्र ओढ़ते-पहनते हो, बढ़िया विशुद्ध भात खाते हो तथा अच्छी जातिके घोड़े तुम्हारी सवारीमें रहते हैं; फिर किस दुःखसे तुम सफेद और दुबले हो गये हो?
ācchādayasi prāvārān aśnāsi viśadāudanam | ājāneyā vahanty aśvāḥ kenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—“تم قیمتی چادریں اوڑھتے ہو، نفیس اور پاکیزہ سفید چاول کھاتے ہو، اور اعلیٰ نسل کے گھوڑے تمہیں سواری میں اٹھائے پھرتے ہیں؛ پھر کس غم سے تم ہرن کی مانند زرد اور دبلا ہو گئے ہو؟”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outer prosperity—fine clothing, pure food, and noble conveyance—does not guarantee inner well-being. The verse highlights how grief and anxiety can wither a person despite material comfort, prompting an ethical, compassionate inquiry into the true cause of suffering.
The speaker observes someone who appears materially well-provided—wearing costly mantles, eating refined rice, and riding with noble horses—yet looks pale and emaciated. He asks what sorrow or distress has caused this visible decline, setting up a disclosure of the person’s inner trouble.