Shloka 316

Devanagari script

देविता निकृतिप्रज्ञो युधि जेष्यति पाण्डवान्‌ 'ये पासे फेंकनेमें बड़े कुशल हैं। कुटिलता, शठता और धूर्तता तो इनमें कूट-कूटकर भरी है। ये जूएके खिलाड़ी तो हैं ही, छल-विद्याके भी अच्छे जानकार हैं। युद्धमें पाण्डवोंको अवश्य जीत लेंगे

Transliteration

devitā nikṛtiprajño yudhi jeṣyati pāṇḍavān

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Er ist ein Meister der Täuschung, sein Geist ist in krummen Listen geschult; in der Schlacht wird er die Pāṇḍavas gewiss besiegen.“

Word by Word

• देविता: having gambled / a gambler
• देविता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देवित (देव् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निकृतिप्रज्ञः: one whose intelligence is in deceit; deceit-minded
• निकृतिप्रज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निकृति + प्रज्ञ (प्रज्ञा)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• जेष्यति: will conquer
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पाण्डवान्: the Pandavas
• पाण्डवान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral danger of equating victory with righteousness: success predicted on the basis of deceit and crooked intelligence points to adharma-driven strategy, a recurring Mahābhārata critique of ends-justify-means thinking.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an assessment that a certain warrior—described as adept in deception and cunning—will defeat the Pāṇḍavas in battle, emphasizing guile as the supposed decisive factor.