Shloka 16

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एतच्छुत्वा व्यवसितो निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । जितमित्येव शकुनिर्युधिष्ठिरमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यह सुनकर छली शकुनिने उसी निश्चयके साथ युधिष्ठिससे कहा--“'यह दाँव भी मैंने ही जीता”

Transliteration

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

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing this, Śakuni—firm in his resolve and having resorted to deceit—addressed Yudhiṣṭhira, saying, “I have won.”

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एतत्this

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

व्यवसितःresolved, determined

निकृतिम्deceit, trickery

समुपाश्रितःhaving resorted to, having taken refuge in

जितम्won (victory/it is won)

इतिthus, saying

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 moral contrast between outward ‘victory’ and inner legitimacy: success gained through nikṛti (fraud) is ethically tainted, and it intensifies the dharmic dilemma of accepting outcomes produced by deception.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the preceding development in the dice match, Śakuni—committed to trickery—declares to Yudhiṣṭhira that he has won the stake, asserting the result with confidence rooted in manipulation rather than fair play.