Shloka 10
Virāṭa-sabhāyāṃ Saṃniveśaḥ — Assembly at Virāṭa’s Hall and Kṛṣṇa’s Diplomatic Counsel
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच सर्वेर्भवद्धिर्विंदितं यथायं युधिष्ठिर: सौबलेनाक्षवत्याम् । जितो निकृत्यापद्वतं च राज्यं वनप्रवासे समय: कृतश्न
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | sarvair bhavadbhir viditaṃ yathāyaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ saubalenākṣavatyām | jito nikṛtyāpahṛtaṃ ca rājyaṃ vanapravāse samayaḥ kṛtaś ca ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa dit : «Vous tous, amis ici présents, vous savez bien comment Yudhiṣṭhira, dans la salle de jeu, fut vaincu par Saubala (Śakuni) par la ruse, et comment son royaume lui fut ravi. Vous savez aussi qu’une condition contraignante fut arrêtée : l’exil dans la forêt comme conséquence de cette défaite.»
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the ethical breach at the root of the conflict: a righteous king is dispossessed not by fair contest but by nikṛti (fraud). It highlights how adharma in procedure (deceitful means) corrupts outcomes and creates binding yet tragic consequences (the exile agreement), setting the moral ground for later demands for justice.
Kṛṣṇa begins addressing the assembled allies and elders, reminding them of the well-known event: Śakuni’s deceptive victory over Yudhiṣṭhira in the dice-hall, the seizure of the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom, and the stipulation that followed—forest exile as the agreed consequence of the loss.