Shloka 14
शकुनिरुवाच श्रोत्रिय: श्रोत्रियानेति निकृत्यैव युधिष्ठिर । विद्वानविदुषो5भ्येति नाहुस्तां निकृतिं जना:,शकुनि बोला--युधिष्ठिर! श्रोत्रिय दिद्वान् दूसरे श्रोत्रिय विद्वानोंके पास जब उन्हें जीतनेके लिये जाता है, तब शठतासे ही काम लेता है। विद्वान् अविद्वानोंको शठतासे ही पराजित करता है; परंतु इसे जनसाधारण शठता नहीं कहते
śakunir uvāca—śrotriyaḥ śrotriyān iti nikṛtyaiva yudhiṣṭhira | vidvān aviduṣo ’bhyeti nāhus tāṃ nikṛtiṃ janāḥ ||
Śakuni dijo: «Oh Yudhiṣṭhira, un erudito védico (śrotriya), cuando se acerca a otros eruditos con el propósito de vencerlos, lo hace empleando solo estratagemas. Del mismo modo, el sabio supera al ignorante por medios astutos; y, sin embargo, la gente común no llama a eso “engaño”.»
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śakuni attempts to normalize ‘nikṛti’ (crafty stratagem) by arguing that even learned people use tactics to defeat others, and society does not label it deceit. The ethical tension is that he reframes manipulation as acceptable skill, thereby blurring the boundary between legitimate strategy and adharma.
In the context of the dice-game episode, Śakuni speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira to justify the use of trickery and unequal advantage. His statement functions as persuasion: it is meant to reduce Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral resistance and make the rigged contest appear socially defensible.