Shloka 10

Devanagari script

शकुनिने कहा--राजन्‌! भरतश्रेष्ठ! हमारे बूढ़े महाराजने आपको जो सारा धन लौटा दिया है, वह बहुत अच्छा किया है। अब जूएके लिये एक ही दाँव रखा जायगा उसे सुनिये -- ९ || वयं वा द्वादशाब्दानि युष्माभिर्यूतनिर्जिता: । प्रविशेम महारण्यं रौरवाजिनवासस:,“यदि आपने हमलोगोंको जूएमें हरा दिया तो हम मृगचर्म धारण करके महान्‌ वनमें प्रवेश करेंगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca — śakunir uvāca: rājan bharataśreṣṭha! asmākaṃ vṛddhena mahārājñā yat sarvaṃ dhanaṃ tubhyaṃ pratyarpitaṃ tad bhadraṃ kṛtam. idānīṃ dyūtāyaika eva dāvaḥ sthāpyate, taṃ śṛṇu — vayaṃ vā dvādaśābdāni yuṣmābhir dyūtanirjitāḥ praviśema mahāraṇyaṃ rauravājinavāsasaḥ.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Śakuni said, “O King, best of the Bharatas! It was well done that our aged great king returned to you all the wealth. Now, for the dice-game, a single final stake shall be set—hear it. If you defeat us in play, then we shall, for twelve years, enter the great forest, wearing rough animal-skins.”

Word by Word

वयम्we

वाor

द्वादशtwelve

अब्दानिyears

युष्माभिःby you (pl.)

यूतin gambling / at dice

निर्जिताःdefeated, conquered

प्रविशेमwe should enter

महाgreat

अरण्यम्forest

रौरवof the ruru-deer

अजिनwith a hide/skin

वाससःwearing (as clothing)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śakuni

rājan (the addressed king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in context)

vṛddha mahārājā (the aged great king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)

dyūta (dice-game)

dāva (stake/wager)

mahāraṇya (great forest)

ajina (animal-skin garments)

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 how the appearance of fairness (returning wealth) can be used to legitimize an unethical escalation. It warns that addiction to gambling and the manipulation of rules can push rulers into choices that undermine dharma and lead to severe, long-term consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakuni proposes a single decisive wager after the wealth has been restored: the losing side must go into forest exile for twelve years wearing animal-skins. This sets up a high-stakes, coercive turn in the dice-game episode.