Shloka 14

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 पुनः शठताका आश्रय लेनेवाले शकुनिने अपनी ही जीतका निश्चय करके युधिष्ठिस्से कहा--“लो, यह दाँव भी मैंने जीत लिया”

Transliteration

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

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing this, Śakuni—resolved and once again resorting to deceit—addressed Yudhiṣṭhira, declaring, “I have won,” as if the outcome were already settled.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एतत्this

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

व्यवसितःresolved, determined

निकृतिम्deceit, trickery

समुपाश्रितःhaving resorted to

जितम्won; (it is) won

इतिthus

एवindeed, just

शकुनिःŚakuni

युधिष्ठिरम्Yudhiṣṭhira

अभाषतspoke (to), addressed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śakuni

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical collapse of a contest when one party knowingly relies on nikṛti (fraud). It contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharma-bound vulnerability with Śakuni’s deliberate adharma, showing how deceit can manufacture ‘victory’ while corroding justice.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the preceding development in the dice-game, Śakuni becomes firmly determined and again takes recourse to deception. He then tells Yudhiṣṭhira, in effect, “I have won,” pressing the game forward under a presumption of victory.