Shloka 8
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
निकृत्या जितवन्तस्ते कि नु तेषां परं शुभम् । कथं प्रणिपतेच्चायमिह कृत्वा पणं परम्,यदि भाइयोंसहित कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिर अपने घरपर जूआ खेलते होते और ये कौरव वहाँ जाकर उन्हें हरा देते, तो यह उनकी धर्मपूर्वक विजय कही जा सकती थी। परंतु उन्होंने सदा क्षत्रियधर्ममें तत्पर रहनेवाले राजा युधिष्ठिरको बुलाकर छल और कपटसे उन्हें पराजित किया है। क्या यही उनका परम कल्याणमय कर्म कहा जा सकता है? ये राजा युधिष्ठिर अपनी वनवासविषयक प्रतिज्ञा तो पूर्ण ही कर चुके हैं, अब किस लिये उनके आगे मस्तक झुकायें--क्यों प्रणाम अथवा विनय करें?
nikṛtyā jitavantaste ki nu teṣāṃ paraṃ śubham | kathaṃ praṇipateccāyam iha kṛtvā paṇaṃ param ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “They have won by deceit—what supreme good can possibly come to them from that? And how should this man here bow down, after having fulfilled the highest stake of the wager? If Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntī’s son, had been defeated in a lawful game played in his own house, that might be called a righteous victory. But they summoned the ever-dharma-minded king and overcame him through trickery and fraud. Can such an act be called their highest welfare? And since King Yudhiṣṭhira has already completed his vow of exile, for what reason should he now lower his head in submission—why offer salutations or deference?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory gained through deceit is ethically hollow and cannot be called true welfare (śubha). The verse questions the moral legitimacy of the Kauravas’ success and implies that dharma, not mere outcome, determines the worth of an action.
In the Udyoga Parva context, the speaker reflects on the earlier dice episode: Yudhiṣṭhira was summoned and defeated by trickery rather than in a fair contest. Since he has already fulfilled the exile-related stake of that wager, the verse asks why he should now show submission or bow to those who won by fraud.