Shloka 147
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
अमर्षण: स्वयं जेतुमशक्त: पाण्डवान् रणे | निरुत्साहश्व सम्प्राप्तुं सुश्रियं क्षत्रियोडपि सन्,राजसूय-यज्ञमें महापराक्रमी पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी सर्वोपरि समृद्धि-सम्पत्ति देखकर तथा सभाभवनकी सीढ़ियोंपर चढ़ते और उस भवनको देखते समय भीमसेनके द्वारा उपहास पाकर दुर्योधन भारी अमर्षमें भर गया था। युद्धमें पाण्डवोंको हरानेकी शक्ति तो उसमें थी नहीं; अतः क्षत्रिय होते हुए भी वह युद्धके लिये उत्साह नहीं दिखा सका। परंतु पाण्डवोंकी उस उत्तम सम्पत्तिको हथियानेके लिये उसने गान्धारराज शकुनिको साथ लेकर कपट॒पूर्ण द्यूत खेलनेका ही निश्चय किया। संजय! इस प्रकार जूआ खेलनेका निश्चय हो जानेपर उसके पहले और पीछे जो-जो घटनाएँ घटित हुई हैं उन सबका विचार करते हुए मैंने समय-समयपर विजयकी आशाके विपरीत जो-जो अनुभव किया है उसे कहता हूँ, सुनो--
amarṣaṇaḥ svayaṁ jetum aśaktaḥ pāṇḍavān raṇe | nirutsāhaś ca samprāptuṁ suśriyaṁ kṣatriyo 'pi san |
Burning with resentment, Duryodhana—though a kṣatriya—found himself unable to muster the spirit for open battle, for he lacked the power to defeat the Pāṇḍavas in war. Enraged at Yudhiṣṭhira’s supreme prosperity displayed at the Rājasūya and humiliated by Bhīmasena while ascending and beholding the splendid hall, he resolved instead to seize that prosperity through deceit, taking Śakuni of Gāndhāra as his ally and choosing the crooked path of gambling. Thus, reflecting on the chain of events that followed this decision, the narrator turns to recount what was experienced—often contrary to hopes of victory—inviting the listener to hear the account.
Educational Q&A
Unchecked envy and wounded pride can push a person away from righteous, open conduct into deceitful means. The passage contrasts the kṣatriya ideal of facing conflict directly with the adharma of attempting to seize another’s prosperity through fraud (kapaṭa-dyūta), showing how inner vices become the root of large-scale catastrophe.
Duryodhana, angered by the Pāṇḍavas’ success—especially Yudhiṣṭhira’s imperial prosperity—and stung by Bhīma’s mockery in the assembly hall, realizes he cannot defeat them in fair battle. He therefore allies with Śakuni of Gāndhāra and resolves to use a rigged dice game to dispossess the Pāṇḍavas, setting in motion the events that lead toward the great conflict.