Shloka 266

Devanagari script

एते चेदेवमिच्छन्ति कृतकार्यो युधिष्ठिर: । “आपके पुत्र पाण्डवोंका धन लेनेके लिये लुभाये हुए हैं, परंतु इन्हें अपने धनसे भी हाथ धोना पड़ेगा। यदि ये ऐसा ही चाहते हैं, तब तो युधिष्ठिरका काम बन गया

Transliteration

ete ced evam icchanti kṛtakāryo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “If they truly desire it in this way, then Yudhiṣṭhira’s purpose is accomplished.” In context, the remark points to a moral and strategic irony: those driven by greed to seize the Pāṇḍavas’ wealth may end up forfeiting even what they already possess, and by their own choice they clear the path for Yudhiṣṭhira’s rightful aim.

Word by Word

• एते: these (men)
• एते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• चेत्: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत्

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• इच्छन्ति: they desire, they wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (इच्छ्)
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कृतकार्यः: one whose purpose is accomplished
• कृतकार्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतकार्य (कृत + कार्य)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire driven by greed can become self-defeating: when opponents insist on an unjust course, they may undermine their own security and inadvertently enable the righteous party’s objective. The line underscores how adharma carries the seed of its own loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war negotiations and counsels, Vaiśaṃpāyana comments that if the other side persists in its chosen stance, then Yudhiṣṭhira’s intended end is effectively achieved—because their very insistence sets in motion consequences favorable to him.