Shloka 18
Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis
आनर्तेषु विमर्द च क्षेपं चात्मनि कौरव । प्रवृद्धमवलेपं च तस्य दुष्कृतकर्मण:,कुरुप्रवर! पृथ्वीपते! उसने आनर्त देशमें जो महान् संहार मचा रखा था, वह मुझपर जो आक्षेप करता था तथा उस पापाचारीका घमंड जो बहुत बढ़ गया था, वह सब सोचकर मैं सौभनगरका नाश करनेके लिये प्रस्थित हुआ। मैंने सब ओर उसकी खोज की तो वह मुझे समुद्रके एक द्वीपमें दिखायी दिया
Ānarteṣu vimardaṃ ca kṣepaṃ cātmani Kaurava | pravṛddham avalepaṃ ca tasya duṣkṛta-karmaṇaḥ ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O Kaurava, when I reflected on the havoc he had wrought in the land of Ānarta, on the accusations he had hurled at me, and on the swelling arrogance of that man of wicked deeds, I set out to destroy Saubhanagara. Searching for him in every direction, I finally saw him on an island in the sea.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked arrogance (avalepa) and harmful conduct (duṣkṛta-karma) invite corrective action by those responsible for upholding dharma. The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s campaign not as personal vengeance but as a response to public harm, slander, and escalating adharma.
Kṛṣṇa recounts why he marched to destroy Saubhanagara: the antagonist had caused great devastation in Ānarta, insulted/accused Kṛṣṇa, and become increasingly arrogant. Kṛṣṇa searched for him and located him on an island in the sea.