Shloka 112
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
गान्धारराजपुत्रो 5 भूच्छकुनि: सौबलस्तथा । दुर्योधनस्य जननी जज्ञातेडर्थविशारदौ,प्रहादका शिष्य नग्नजित् राजा सुबलके रूपमें प्रकट हुआ। देवताओंके कोपसे उसकी संतति (शकुनि) धर्मका नाश करनेवाली हुई। गान्धारराज सुबलका पुत्र शकुनि एवं सौबल नामसे विख्यात हुआ तथा उनकी पुत्री गान्धारी दुर्योधनकी माता थी। ये दोनों भाई-बहिन अर्थशास्त्रके ज्ञानमें निपुण थे
gāndhārarājaputro bhūcchakuniḥ saubalastathā | duryodhanasya jananī jajñāte 'rthaviśāradau ||
Dijo Dāśa: «Del rey de Gāndhāra nació Śakuni, también llamado Saubala. Y su hermana Gāndhārī llegó a ser la madre de Duryodhana. Ambos eran célebres por su aguda maestría en el arte de gobernar y en los cálculos del artha».
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how expertise in artha (pragmatic policy and calculation) is morally ambivalent: it can uphold order when aligned with dharma, but when joined to hostility and manipulation it becomes a force that corrodes righteousness and fuels large-scale conflict.
The speaker identifies Śakuni’s lineage from the Gāndhāra royal house and notes his epithet ‘Saubala’. It also connects his sister Gāndhārī to the Kuru line as Duryodhana’s mother, emphasizing that both siblings were famed for their skill in political and material strategy.