Shloka 793
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
शकुनि: सीबलस्तात हते कर्णे किमब्रवीत् । तात! पहले द्यूतक्रीड़ाका आयोजन करके पाण्डवोंको ठग लेनेके बाद जिसे बड़ा हर्ष हुआ था, वह सुबल-पुत्र शकुनि कर्णके मारे जानेपर क्या बोला?
Vaiśampāyana uvāca — Śakuniḥ Saubalastāta hate Karṇe kim abravīt | Tāṭa! pūrvaṁ dyūtakrīḍākā āyojanaṁ kṛtvā Pāṇḍavān ṭhagitvā yaḥ mahān harṣaṁ lebhe, sa Saubala-putraḥ Śakuniḥ Karṇasya māraṇe kim avadat?
Vaiśampāyana said: “Dear one, when Karṇa had been slain, what did Śakuni, the son of Subala, say? He who had once exulted greatly after arranging the gambling match and deceitfully dispossessing the Pāṇḍavas—what words did that Śakuni speak upon Karṇa’s death?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical contrast: the same agent who once rejoiced after orchestrating deceit (the dice-game) is now questioned about his response to a major wartime death. It highlights how adharma-driven actions and attitudes persist across contexts, and invites reflection on the moral consequences of manipulation and cruelty.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana poses a question about Śakuni’s words after Karṇa’s death. It serves as a transition, preparing the listener for Śakuni’s reaction and commentary in the aftermath of Karṇa being slain in the Kurukṣetra war.