Shloka 14
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुकक््त्वा तु तानक्षाउ्छकुनि: प्रत्यदीव्यत । जितमित्येव शकुनिर्युधिष्ठिरमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! ऐसा कहकर शकुनिने पासे फेंके और युधिष्ठिससे कहा--'लो, इस दाँवपर भी मेरी ही विजय हुई”
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evam uktvā tu tān akṣān Śakuniḥ pratyadīvyata | jitam ity eva Śakunir Yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, Śakuni cast those dice again and played on. Declaring, “I have won,” Śakuni addressed Yudhiṣṭhira.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma can operate through the appearance of lawful procedure: Śakuni’s confident claim of victory in a rigged game shows that mere adherence to external rules (playing ‘by the dice’) is not the same as righteousness. It warns that ethical collapse can be accelerated when a person of dharma becomes bound by pride, habit, or social pressure to continue a harmful course.
After speaking, Śakuni throws the dice again and resumes the gambling. He immediately proclaims, “I have won,” and addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, signaling yet another loss for the Pāṇḍava king and pushing the match onward toward greater stakes and consequences.