Shloka 12
Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis
अद्य तं पापकर्माणि क्षुद्रें विश्वासघातिनम् । शिशुपालवधामर्षाद् गमयिष्ये यमक्षयम्,राजन! साथ ही वह यह भी कहता था कि “आज उस नीच पापाचारी और विश्वासघाती कृष्णको शिशुपालवधके अमर्षके कारण मैं यमलोक भेज दूँगा। उस पापीने मेरे भाई राजा शिशुपालको मार गिराया है, अतः मैं भी उसका वध करूँगा
adya taṃ pāpakarmāṇaṃ kṣudraṃ viśvāsaghātinam | śiśupālavadhamarṣād gamayiṣye yamakṣayam, rājan |
He also declared, “Today, O king, I shall send Kṛṣṇa—that petty evil-doer, betrayer of trust—to Yama’s imperishable realm, driven by rage over the slaying of Śiśupāla.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral language (sin, treachery, justice) is often invoked to legitimize retaliation. It invites reflection on dharma: whether punishment arises from righteous duty or from amarṣa (resentful anger), and how easily the two can appear intertwined.
A speaker declares that, provoked by indignation over Śiśupāla’s killing, he will send the alleged wrongdoer—described as sinful, petty, and treacherous—to Yama’s realm, i.e., he intends to kill him as an act of vengeance.