Shloka 10
दुर्योधनार्थे शकुनिर्ययूते निर्जितवान् पुरा । समयेन गतो<रण्यं पाण्डुपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:,“पहलेकी बात है, शकुनिने दुर्योधनके लिये पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरको द्यूत-क्रीड़ामें परास्त किया था और वे उस जूएकी शर्तके अनुसार वनमें गये थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | duryodhanārthe śakunir yayūte nirjitavān purā | samayena gato 'raṇyaṃ pāṇḍuputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Formerly, for Duryodhana’s sake, Śakuni won the dice-game by deceit and defeated Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Pāṇḍu. Bound by the agreed condition of that wager, Yudhiṣṭhira then went to the forest—showing how a wrongful act can still compel the righteous to uphold a pledged word, even at great personal cost.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wronged through deceit, a person committed to dharma may still feel bound to honor an agreed pledge (samaya). The verse highlights the moral tension between the injustice of the means (Śakuni’s manipulation for Duryodhana) and the ethical weight of keeping one’s word (Yudhiṣṭhira accepting exile).
The narrator recalls an earlier event: Śakuni, acting for Duryodhana, defeated Yudhiṣṭhira in the dice-game. Because of the wager’s stipulated terms, Yudhiṣṭhira went to the forest in exile.