190.1 Duryodhana's lament to Dritharashtra
Sakuni, having understood the despondency of Duryodhana, approached Dhritarashtra ,and desirous of saying what was agreeable to him, said "Know, O great king, that Duryodhana, having lost colour, hath become pale and emaciated and depressed and a prey to anxiety. Why do you not, after due enquiry, ascertain the grief that is in the heart of your eldest son, the grief that is caused by the foe?" Dhritarashtra said "Duryodhana, what is the reason of your great affliction? If it is fit for me to hear it, then tell me the reason. This Sakuni here says that you have lost colour, become pale and emaciated, and a prey to anxiety. I do not know what can be the reason of the sorrow. This vast wealth of mine is at your control. Your brothers and all our relations never do anything that is disagreeable to you. You wear the best apparel and eat the best food that is prepared with meat. The best of horse carries you. What it is, therefore, that has made you pale and emaciated? Costly beds, beautiful damsels, mansions decked with excellent furniture, and sport of the delightful kind, without doubt these all wait but at your command, as in the case of the gods themselves Therefore, O proud one, why do you grieve as if you were destitute."
Duryodhana said "I eat and dress myself like a wretch and pass my time all the while a prey to fierce jealousy. He indeed is a man, who incapable of bearing the pride of the foe, lives having vanquished that foe with the desire of liberating his own subjects from the tyranny of the foe. Contentment, as also pride are destructive of prosperity; and those other two qualities also, viz., compassion and fear. One who acts under the influence of these, never obtains anything high. Having beheld Yudhishthira's prosperity, whatever I enjoy brings me no gratification. The prosperity of Kunti's son that is possessed of such splendour makes me pale. Knowing the affluence of the foe and my own destitution, even though that affluence is not before me, I yet see it before me. Therefore, have I lost colour and become melancholy, pale and emaciated. Yudhishthira supports eighty-eight thousand Snataka Brahmanas leading domestic lives, giving unto each of them thirty slave-girls. Beside this, thousand other Brahmanas daily eat at his palace the best of food on golden plates. Never before did I see or hear of such enormous wealth as was brought unto the sacrifice of sons of Pandu. Beholding that enormous collection of wealth belonging to the foe, I can not enjoy peace of mind. Hundreds of Brahmanas supported by the grants that Yudhishthira has given them and possessing wealth of kine, waited at the palace gate with three thousands of millions of tribute but were prevented by the keepers from entering the mansion. Bringing with them clarified butter in handsome Kamandalus made of gold, they did not obtain admission into the palace, and Ocean himself brought unto him in vessels of white copper the nectar that is generated within his waters and which is much superior to that which flowers and annual plants produce for Sakra. And Vasudeva,at the conclusion of the sacrifice, having brought an excellent conch bathed the son of Pritha with sea water brought in thousand jars of gold, all well adorned with numerous gems. Beholding all this I became feverish with jealousy. Those jars had been taken to the Eastern and the Southern oceans. And they had also been taken on the shoulders of men to the Western ocean. And, O father, although none but birds only can go to the Northern region, Arjuna, having gone there, exacted as tribute a vast quantity of wealth. There is another wonderful incident also which I will relate to thee. When a hundred thousand Brahmanas were fed, it had been arranged that to notify this act every day conches would be blown in a chorus. But I continually heard conches blown there almost repeatedly. And hearing those notes my hair stood on end. And that palatial compound, filled with innumerable monarchs that came there as spectators, looked exceedingly handsome like the cloudless firmament with stars. The monarchs came into that sacrifice of the wise son of Pandu bringing with them every kind of wealth. And the kings that came there became like Vaisyas, the distributors of food unto the Brahmanas that were fed. The prosperity that I beheld of Yudhishthira was such that neither the chief himself of the celestials, nor Yama or Varuna, nor the lord of the Guhyakas owns the same. And beholding that great prosperity of the son of Pandu, my heart burns and I cannot enjoy peace."
Duryodhana said "I eat and dress myself like a wretch and pass my time all the while a prey to fierce jealousy. He indeed is a man, who incapable of bearing the pride of the foe, lives having vanquished that foe with the desire of liberating his own subjects from the tyranny of the foe. Contentment, as also pride are destructive of prosperity; and those other two qualities also, viz., compassion and fear. One who acts under the influence of these, never obtains anything high. Having beheld Yudhishthira's prosperity, whatever I enjoy brings me no gratification. The prosperity of Kunti's son that is possessed of such splendour makes me pale. Knowing the affluence of the foe and my own destitution, even though that affluence is not before me, I yet see it before me. Therefore, have I lost colour and become melancholy, pale and emaciated. Yudhishthira supports eighty-eight thousand Snataka Brahmanas leading domestic lives, giving unto each of them thirty slave-girls. Beside this, thousand other Brahmanas daily eat at his palace the best of food on golden plates. Never before did I see or hear of such enormous wealth as was brought unto the sacrifice of sons of Pandu. Beholding that enormous collection of wealth belonging to the foe, I can not enjoy peace of mind. Hundreds of Brahmanas supported by the grants that Yudhishthira has given them and possessing wealth of kine, waited at the palace gate with three thousands of millions of tribute but were prevented by the keepers from entering the mansion. Bringing with them clarified butter in handsome Kamandalus made of gold, they did not obtain admission into the palace, and Ocean himself brought unto him in vessels of white copper the nectar that is generated within his waters and which is much superior to that which flowers and annual plants produce for Sakra. And Vasudeva,at the conclusion of the sacrifice, having brought an excellent conch bathed the son of Pritha with sea water brought in thousand jars of gold, all well adorned with numerous gems. Beholding all this I became feverish with jealousy. Those jars had been taken to the Eastern and the Southern oceans. And they had also been taken on the shoulders of men to the Western ocean. And, O father, although none but birds only can go to the Northern region, Arjuna, having gone there, exacted as tribute a vast quantity of wealth. There is another wonderful incident also which I will relate to thee. When a hundred thousand Brahmanas were fed, it had been arranged that to notify this act every day conches would be blown in a chorus. But I continually heard conches blown there almost repeatedly. And hearing those notes my hair stood on end. And that palatial compound, filled with innumerable monarchs that came there as spectators, looked exceedingly handsome like the cloudless firmament with stars. The monarchs came into that sacrifice of the wise son of Pandu bringing with them every kind of wealth. And the kings that came there became like Vaisyas, the distributors of food unto the Brahmanas that were fed. The prosperity that I beheld of Yudhishthira was such that neither the chief himself of the celestials, nor Yama or Varuna, nor the lord of the Guhyakas owns the same. And beholding that great prosperity of the son of Pandu, my heart burns and I cannot enjoy peace."