Shloka 18
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
नमां प्रीणाति राजेन्द्र लक्ष्मी: साधारणी विभो । ज्वलितामेव कौन्तेये श्रियं दृष्टवा च विव्यथे
na māṁ prīṇāti rājendra lakṣmīḥ sādhāraṇī vibho | jvalitām iva kaunteye śriyaṁ dṛṣṭvā ca vivyathe ||
难敌说道：“大王，强者啊，这等寻常的富贵并不能使我欢喜。可当我看见昆蒂之子（坚战）那如火般炽盛的荣光与王者之福时，我便被痛苦所震撼。”
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.