Shloka 32
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
प्रलम्भं च शृणुष्वान्यद् वदतो मे नराधिप । अद्वारेण विनिर्गच्छन् द्वारसंस्थानरूपिणा | अभिहत्य शिलां भूयो ललाटेनास्मि विक्षत:
pralambhaṃ ca śṛṇuṣvānyad vadato me narādhipa | advāreṇa vinirgacchan dvārasaṃsthānarūpiṇā | abhihatya śilāṃ bhūyo lalāṭenāsmi vikṣataḥ ||
难敌说道：“大王，请再听我诉说另一桩羞辱。那殿中有一处并无真门，却做成门的形状。我误以为是出口，欲从那里出去，便撞上石壁；我的额头又一次重伤。于是我又忍受了一次以欺诳为名的侮辱。”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how pride and envy make one vulnerable to humiliation and misperception. Duryodhana interprets architectural illusion as deliberate deceit, intensifying resentment—an ethical warning about letting wounded ego harden into hostility.
In the wondrous assembly hall (noted for optical illusions), Duryodhana mistakes a door-like appearance for a real exit and walks into stone, injuring his forehead. He reports this as another act of deception and disgrace.