Shloka 20
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
विसंज्ञान् भूमिपान् दृष्टवा मां च ते प्राहसंस्तदा । ततः प्रह्ृष्टो बीभत्सु: प्रादाद्धेमविषाणिनाम्
visaṁjñān bhūmipān dṛṣṭvā māṁ ca te prāhasaṁs tadā | tataḥ prahṛṣṭo bībhatsuḥ prādād hemaviṣāṇinām ||
Dijo Duryodhana: «Al verme a mí y a aquellos reyes tendidos en el suelo, sin sentido, se rieron a carcajadas en aquel momento. Entonces Arjuna —llamado Bībhatsu—, complacido ante el espectáculo, distribuyó entre los brāhmaṇas más eminentes quinientos toros con los cuernos chapados en oro.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of taking pleasure in another’s humiliation. Even when followed by acts that appear meritorious (lavish gifts to brāhmaṇas), mockery and triumphalism can deepen enmity and become a seed of future violence.
Duryodhana recounts that he and other kings were seen lying unconscious, while others laughed loudly. Afterward Arjuna, pleased, distributed a large charitable gift—bulls with gold-plated horns—to leading brāhmaṇas, turning the moment into a public display of prosperity and patronage.