Shloka 19
Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis
ततः सौभवधायाह ूं प्रतस्थे पृथिवीपते । स मया सागरावरतें दृष्ट आसीत् परीप्सता,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
tataḥ saubha-vadhāyāhaṁ pratasthē pṛthivī-pate | sa mayā sāgarāvarte dṛṣṭa āsīt parīpsatā, kuru-pravara ||
Then, O king, I set out with the purpose of destroying Saubha. While I was searching for him, O foremost of the Kurus, he was seen by me in a whirl of the sea—on an island in the ocean. Reflecting on the great havoc he had caused in the Ānarta land, on the accusations he hurled at me, and on the swelling arrogance of that sinful wrongdoer, I resolved to bring down Saubha and end his violence.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked violence and arrogant wrongdoing invite rightful restraint: a ruler’s duty is to protect people and curb destructive forces, even when the wrongdoer is powerful or elusive.
Kṛṣṇa declares that he set out to destroy Saubha after considering the devastation caused in Ānarta and the offender’s insolence; while searching, he spots the target in the ocean’s swirling waters, on an island.