Shloka 1

सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा

Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus

Devanagari script

ऑपनआक्ात बछ। आर: षट्पज्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: धृतराष्ट्र और दुर्योधनकी बातचीत

Transliteration

Śakuniḥ uvāca: yāṃ tvam etāṃ śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍuputre yudhiṣṭhire | tapyase tāṃ hariṣyāmi dyūtena jayatāṃ vara ||

Translation

शकुनि ने कहा—हे विजयों में श्रेष्ठ! पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिर में इस श्री-सम्पदा को देखकर तू जलता है; मैं जुए के द्वारा वही समृद्धि उससे छीन लूँगा।

Word by Word

• शकुनिः: Shakuni
• शकुनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• याम्: which (that)
• याम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रियम्: prosperity, fortune, splendor
• श्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active

• पाण्डु-पुत्रे: in the son of Pandu
• पाण्डु-पुत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डुपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरे: in Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तप्यसे: you burn (with envy), you are distressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Atmanepada

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• हरिष्यामि: I will take away
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ
• Form: Simple Future, First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• द्यूतेन: by gambling, through the dice-game
• द्यूतेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यूत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• जयताम्: of those who are winning / of the victorious
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: शतृ (present active participle) used as genitive plural, Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वर: O best (of men)
• वर: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakuni
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pāṇḍu
• dyūta (dice-game/gambling)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse exposes envy as a corrosive motive that seeks to destroy another’s rightful prosperity, and it frames gambling (dyūta) as a tool of deceit rather than honorable contest—an ethical warning about adharma-driven strategy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakuni, aligning with Duryodhana’s jealousy of Yudhiṣṭhira’s success, promises to strip Yudhiṣṭhira of his fortune by defeating him through a dice-game, setting the plot in motion for the infamous gambling episode.