Shloka 9

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच > आ/उकलक क निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । शकुनिर्युधिष्ठिरमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यह सुनकर कपटका आश्रय ग्रहण करके शकुनिने पुन: अपनी ही जीतका निश्चय करके युधिष्ठिरसे कहा--“इस दाँवपर भी मेरी ही विजय हुई”

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Taking refuge in deceit, Śakuni addressed Yudhiṣṭhira—confident again of his own victory in the wager—implying that even on this stake the win would be his.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

निकृतिम्deceit, trickery

समुपाश्रितःhaving resorted to, having taken refuge in

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 that occurs when deceit is normalized: adharma (fraudulent play) gains power not merely through skill but through a victim’s willingness to keep consenting to an unjust contest. It warns that dharma requires discernment—refusing corrupt frameworks, not only maintaining personal virtue within them.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the dice-game sequence of the Sabha Parva, Śakuni—known for manipulative gambling—speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira after adopting deceitful tactics. He asserts confidence in winning again, pressing Yudhiṣṭhira toward further wagering and deepening the Pandavas’ entanglement in a rigged game.