Shloka 18
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
नमां प्रीणाति राजेन्द्र लक्ष्मी: साधारणी विभो । ज्वलितामेव कौन्तेये श्रियं दृष्टवा च विव्यथे,राजेन्द्र! यह साधारण लक्ष्मी मुझे प्रसन्न नहीं कर पाती। मैं तो कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरकी उस जगमगाती हुई लक्ष्मीको देखकर व्यथित हो रहा हूँ
na māṁ prīṇāti rājendra lakṣmīḥ sādhāraṇī vibho | jvalitām iva kaunteye śriyaṁ dṛṣṭvā ca vivyathe ||
Duryodhana nói: “Tâu đại vương, bậc hùng lực, thứ phú quý tầm thường này chẳng làm ta vui. Nhưng khi ta nhìn thấy vinh quang rực cháy và vận mệnh đế vương của con trai Kuntī (Yudhiṣṭhira), lòng ta chấn động vì thống khổ.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exposes how envy and comparison corrupt contentment: even genuine prosperity feels worthless when one’s mind is fixated on another’s greater splendour. Such inner dissatisfaction becomes a moral fault that drives harmful choices and fuels conflict.
In the Sabha context, Duryodhana reacts to Yudhiṣṭhira’s extraordinary royal success and magnificence. Instead of rejoicing in his own status, he confesses that ‘ordinary’ fortune cannot satisfy him; seeing Yudhiṣṭhira’s dazzling prosperity makes him inwardly tormented.