Shloka 7
Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis
ततो वृष्णिप्रवीरांस्तान् बालान् हत्वा बहुंस्तदा । पुरोद्यानानि सर्वाणि भेदयामास दुर्मति:,उस खोटी बुद्धिवाले शाल्वने वृष्णिवंशके बहुतेरे बालकोंका वध करके नगरके सब बगीचोंको उजाड़ डाला
tato vṛṣṇipravīrāṁs tān bālān hatvā bahūṁs tadā | purodyānāni sarvāṇi bhedayāmāsa durmatiḥ ||
Then that wicked-minded Śālva, having slain many of those young boys belonging to the foremost heroes of the Vṛṣṇi line, went on to devastate all the royal pleasure-gardens. The passage underscores the ethical depravity of targeting the vulnerable and destroying civic life, marking his conduct as adharma rather than legitimate warfare.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adharma through the killing of the vulnerable and the wanton destruction of communal spaces; such acts are condemned as signs of a corrupted mind (durmati) and stand outside righteous conduct even in conflict.
Śālva, portrayed as wicked-minded, kills many boys connected with the leading Vṛṣṇi heroes and then devastates the city’s/palace’s gardens, escalating violence from combat to terror and destruction.