Shloka 131
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच 52886: 4 २#44028 निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । शकुनिर्युधिष्ठटिरमभाषत
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ | śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem Śakuni zu trügerischen Kunstgriffen Zuflucht genommen hatte, wandte er sich an Yudhiṣṭhira. Dieser Augenblick markiert die absichtliche Wendung von fairem Verhalten hin zur Manipulation und setzt die ethische Spannung der Szene: Ein rechtschaffener König wird in einen Wettstreit hineingezogen, der von List statt von Dharma geprägt ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical contrast between dharma and nikṛti (deceit): when a situation is engineered through fraud, even a virtuous person can be pressured into harmful choices. It warns that the moral quality of an action is shaped not only by intent but also by the integrity of the means and the context created by others.
The narrator indicates that Śakuni, adopting deceitful tactics, begins speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira—introducing the manipulative approach that will drive the dice-game episode, where Yudhiṣṭhira is coaxed into a perilous wager under unfair conditions.