Shloka 159

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope

Devanagari script

यदाश्रौषं हृतराज्यं युधिष्ठिरं पराजितं सौबलेनाक्षवत्याम्‌ | अन्वागतं भ्रातृभिरप्रमेयै- स्तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको जूएमें शकुनिने हगा दिया और उनका राज्य छीन लिया, फिर भी उनके अतुल बलशाली धीर गम्भीर भाइयोंने युधिष्ठिरका अनुगमन ही किया, तभी मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी

Transliteration

yadāśrauṣaṃ hṛtarājyaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraṃ parājitaṃ saubalenākṣavatyām | anvāgataṃ bhrātṛbhir aprameyais tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya saṃjaya, saṃjaya!

Translation

When I heard that Yudhiṣṭhira, deprived of his kingdom, had been defeated by Śakuni, the son of Subala, at the dice-game—and yet was followed faithfully by his immeasurable, steadfast brothers—then, Saṃjaya, I no longer held out hope for victory.

Word by Word

• {'yadā': 'when', 'aśrauṣam': 'I heard', 'hṛta-rājyam': 'one whose kingdom has been taken away

• dispossessed', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (the eldest Pāṇḍava, called Dharmarāja)', 'parājitam': 'defeated, overcome', 'saubalena': 'by the son of Subala (i.e., Śakuni)', 'akṣa-vatyām': 'in the game of dice

• at the dice-match', 'anvāgatam': 'followed after

• accompanied', 'bhrātṛbhiḥ': 'by (his) brothers', 'aprameyaiḥ': 'immeasurable

• of boundless worth/strength', 'tadā': 'then', 'na āśaṃse': 'I did not hope

• I despaired', 'vijayāya': 'for victory', 'saṃjaya': 'Saṃjaya (the charioteer-narrator and counselor)'}

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śakuni (Saubala)
• Saṃjaya
• Pāṇḍava brothers
• dice-game (akṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts outward defeat with inner strength: even after losing kingdom through an unethical dice-game, Yudhiṣṭhira’s brothers remain unwaveringly loyal. Such steadfast dharma-based solidarity is presented as a force that makes the speaker abandon hope of overcoming them.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker addresses Saṃjaya, recalling the moment he heard that Yudhiṣṭhira had been defeated by Śakuni in the dice-game and stripped of his kingdom. Seeing that the Pāṇḍava brothers still followed Yudhiṣṭhira, he concluded that victory against them was unlikely.