Shloka 2

Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis

Devanagari script

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच शाल्वस्य नगरं सौभं॑ गतो<5हं भरतर्षभ । निहन्तुं कौरवश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे शूणु कारणम्‌,श्रीकृष्णने कहा--भरतवंशशिरोमणे! कुरुकुलभूषण! मैं उन दिनों शाल्वके सौभ नामक नगराकार विमानको नष्ट करनेके लिये गया हुआ था। इसका क्या कारण था, वह बतलाता हूँ, सुनिये। भरतश्रेष्ठी आपके राजसूययज्ञमें अग्रपूजाके प्रश्नको लेकर जो क्रोधके वशीभूत हो इस कार्यको नहीं सह सका था और इसीलिये जिस दुरात्मा, महातेजस्वी, महाबाहु एवं महायशस्वी दमघोषनन्दन वीर राजा शिशुपालको मैंने मार डाला था; उसकी मृत्युका समाचार सुनकर शाल्व प्रचण्ड रोषसे भर गया। भारत! मैं तो यहाँ हस्तिनापुरमें था और वह हमलोगोंसे सूनी द्वारकापुरीमें जा पहुँचा

Transliteration

śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | śālvasya nagaraṃ saubhaṃ gato 'haṃ bharatarṣabha | nihantuṃ kauravaśreṣṭha tatra me śṛṇu kāraṇam ||

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O bull among the Bharatas, O best of the Kurus, I went to destroy Śālva’s city called Saubha. Hear from me the reason for that.”

Word by Word

श्रीकृष्णःŚrī Kṛṣṇa

उवाचsaid

शाल्वस्यof Śālva

नगरम्city

सौभम्Saubha (name of the city/vehicle)

गतःgone

अहम्I

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

निहन्तुम्to slay/destroy

कौरवश्रेष्ठO best of the Kauravas

तत्रthere

मेmy

शृणुhear

कारणम्reason/cause

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Śālva

Saubha

Bharatarṣabha (addressed listener, i.e., a Bharata prince)

Kauravaśreṣṭha (addressed listener, i.e., a Kuru prince)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s action as reasoned and accountable: even forceful acts like destroying an enemy stronghold are presented as grounded in a stated cause (kāraṇa), tied to the protection of one’s people and the restoration of order rather than mere impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa tells a Bharata/Kuru prince that he went to destroy Śālva’s city Saubha and invites him to hear the reason. In the surrounding story, Śālva’s hostility escalates after Śiśupāla’s death, leading to aggression against Dvārakā, prompting Kṛṣṇa’s response.