Shloka 11

सभा-पर्व, अध्याय ६१ — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः, सभाधर्मः, सत्यवचन-नियमः

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एतच्छुत्वा व्यवसितो निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । जितमित्येव शकुनिर्युधिष्ठिरमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यह सुनकर कपटी शकुनिने पुनः जीतका निश्चय करके पासे फेंके और युधिष्ठिरसे कहा--“यह दाँव भी मैंने ही जीता”

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: etac chrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṁ samupāśritaḥ | jitam ity eva Śakunir Yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als er dies hörte, warf Śakuni—entschlossen und auf Betrug gestützt—die Würfel erneut und sagte zu Yudhiṣṭhira: „Auch diesen Einsatz habe ich gewonnen.“

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एतत्this

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

व्यवसितःresolved, determined

निकृतिम्deceit, trickery

समुपाश्रितःhaving resorted to, having taken refuge in

जितम्won (victory/it is won)

इतिthus

एवindeed, just

शकुनिःŚakuni

युधिष्ठिरम्Yudhiṣṭhira

अभाषतspoke to, addressed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śakuni

Yudhiṣṭhira

dice (pāśa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when victory is pursued through nikṛti (deceit). It contrasts outward adherence to the ‘rules’ of play with the inner corruption of intention, warning that outcomes produced by fraud undermine dharma and legitimate authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the preceding exchange, Śakuni deliberately resorts to trickery, throws the dice again, and tells Yudhiṣṭhira that he has won this stake too—continuing the rigged gambling match that steadily strips the Pāṇḍavas of their position.