असंतोषः श्रियो मूलं तस्मात् तं कामयाम्य् अहम् ॥
समुच्छ्रये यो यतते स राजन् परमो नयी ॥
ममत्वं हि न कर्तव्यम् ऐश्वर्ये वा धने ऽपि वा ॥
पूर्वावाप्तं हरन्त्य् अन्ये राजधर्मं हि तं विदुः ॥
अद्रोहे समयं कृत्वा चिच्छेद नमुचेः शिरः ॥
शक्रः सा हि मता तस्य रिपौ वृत्तिः सनातनी ॥
asaṃtoṣaḥ śriyo mūlaṃ tasmāt taṃ kāmayāmy aham ||
samucchraye yo yatate sa rājan paramo nayī ||
mamatvaṃ hi na kartavyam aiśvarye vā dhane 'pi vā ||
pūrvāvāptaṃ haranty anye rājadharmaṃ hi taṃ viduḥ ||
adrohe samayaṃ kṛtvā ciccheda namuceḥ śiraḥ ||
śakraḥ sā hi matā tasya ripau vṛttiḥ sanātanī ||
Discontent is the root of fortune, and therefore I desire it; whoever strives for advancement is, O king, supreme in statecraft. One should not form the feeling of 'mine' over dominion or over wealth: what was once gained, others carry away — that is known as the dharma of kings. Having made a pact of non-aggression, Shakra nonetheless cut off the head of Namuchi; for that is deemed his eternal manner of dealing with an enemy.
6fdd4d4986cf · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:22 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Duryodhana elevates discontent itself into a virtue: 'asantosha is the root of fortune.' It is significant that he glorifies as the engine of success the very thing scripture brands as the root of suffering: insatiability. The verse displays a complete inversion of truth — what destroys the soul is proclaimed the path to greatness. And the reference to Shakra's treachery against Namuchi, breaking a sworn pact, is a justification of perfidy through a distorted reading of tradition: evil always seeks its precedents in misread legends. But true dharma lies not in breaking one's word but in keeping faith with it; and whoever draws a lesson of betrayal from a myth reads scripture with the heart of a traitor. Discontent, raised into a law, leads not to fortune but to the abyss that will soon swallow the whole line.