Shloka 22
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
न च राजा पृथुर्वैन्यो न चाप्पासीद् भगीरथ: । ययातिर्नहुषो वापि यथा राजा युधिष्ठिर:
na ca rājā pṛthur vainyo na cāpy āsīd bhagīrathaḥ | yayātir nahuṣo vāpi yathā rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Duryodhana nói: “Ngay cả vua Pṛthu, con của Vena, hay Bhagiratha, hay Yayāti, hay Nahuṣa cũng chưa từng có quyền uy và vinh quang ngang với vua Yudhiṣṭhira hôm nay.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly greatness can be interpreted through the lens of character: the same prosperity that could be seen as the fruit of dharma is, in Duryodhana’s mouth, turned into a tool of comparison and jealousy—showing how envy distorts ethical perception.
In the royal assembly context after Yudhiṣṭhira’s rise in splendor, Duryodhana remarks that even legendary kings did not match Yudhiṣṭhira’s present magnificence, a statement that functions less as admiration and more as a provocation rooted in rivalry.