Shloka 18
दुर्योधनस्य लज्जा-प्रायोपवेशविचारः
Duryodhana’s Shame and Consideration of Prāyopaveśa
समस्थो विषमस्थान् हि दुर्हददो योडभिवीक्षते । जगतीस्थानिवाद्रिस्थ: किमत: परमं सुखम्,'जैसे पर्वतकी चोटीपर खड़ा हुआ मनुष्य भूतलपर स्थित हुई सभी वस्तुओंको नीची और छोटी देखता है, उसी प्रकार जो पुरुष स्वयं सुखमें रहकर शत्रुओंको संकटमें पड़ा हुआ देखता है, उसके लिये इससे बढ़कर सुखकी बात और क्या होगी?
samastho viṣamasthān hi durhṛdado yo 'bhivīkṣate | jagatīsthān ivādristhaḥ kim ataḥ paramaṃ sukham ||
毗舍波耶那说道：“还有什么快乐能胜过此事——一个人自身安稳自在，却看见怀恶意者陷入困厄？正如立于山巅之人，望平原万物皆低小；安居于乐者，也如此俯视落入逆境之人。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common but ethically fraught human tendency: taking pleasure in the misfortune of enemies. By using the mountain-peak metaphor, it portrays how security and superiority can breed contempt and a sense of triumph over others’ distress—implicitly inviting reflection on whether such ‘happiness’ aligns with higher dharma.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, states a general maxim: a person who is himself comfortable feels a heightened satisfaction when he sees hostile people in trouble, likening this to a man on a mountain who views everything on the plain as small and low.