Shloka 9
शकुनिरुवाच अमुज्चत् स्थविरो यद् वो धनं पूजितमेव तत् । महाधन ग्लहं त्वेक॑ शूणु भो भरतर्षभ
śakunir uvāca: amuñcat sthaviro yad vo dhanaṃ pūjitam eva tat | mahādhana glahaṃ tv ekaṃ śṛṇu bho bharatarṣabha ||
Śakuni said: “The elder has released to you that very wealth which you had duly honored and accepted. Now, O bull among the Bharatas, listen to a single wager involving great riches.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a momentary restoration of wealth and honor can be used as a lure to draw a person back into a harmful practice. Ethically, it warns that apparent concessions may conceal renewed manipulation, and that self-restraint is crucial when temptation is deliberately reintroduced.
After the elder (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) has allowed the Pandavas’ wealth to be released/returned, Śakuni immediately proposes another high-stakes wager, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as “Bharatarṣabha,” and invites him to listen to the terms—setting up the continuation of the dice episode.