Shloka 16

Ritual Acclamation at Hastināpura and Karṇa’s Vow Concerning Arjuna (राजकीय स्तुति-प्रसङ्गः कर्णप्रतिज्ञा च)

Devanagari script

अन्यथा वर्तमानानामर्थों जातो5यमन्यथा । दुर्मन्त्रितमिदं तावदू राज्ञो दुर्दृतदेविन:,'ये कौरव कुछ और ही करना चाहते थे; परंतु इन्हें उलटा परिणाम देखना पड़ा। कपट्द्यूत खेलनेवाले राजा दुर्योधनका यह दुर्मन्त्रणापूर्ण षड्यन्त्र था, जो सफल न हो सका

Transliteration

anyathā vartamānānām artho jāto ’yam anyathā | durmantritam idaṁ tāvad rājño durdhṛtadevinaḥ ||

Translation

The outcome turned out contrary to what those men were pursuing; the meaning of their actions became the very opposite of what they intended. This, indeed, was a badly conceived scheme of the king Duryodhana—devised with crooked counsel—yet it failed to achieve its aim.

Word by Word

अन्यथाotherwise, differently

वर्तमानानाम्of those who were acting/behaving (so)

अर्थःresult, outcome, meaning

जातःhas arisen, has happened

अयम्this

अन्यथाin a contrary way

दुर्मन्त्रितम्ill-advised, badly planned

इदम्this (plan/act)

तावत्so far, at least, indeed

राज्ञःof the king

दुर्योधनस्यof Duryodhana

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duryodhana

Kauravas

dice (dyūta)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Schemes rooted in deceit and unrighteous counsel often rebound on their authors: when intention is adharma, the ‘artha’ (intended end) can invert, producing the opposite result and exposing the planner’s moral failure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana comments that the Kauravas’ intended course of action did not yield the result they sought. He identifies the episode as Duryodhana’s ill-conceived, dice-linked stratagem—an act of crooked counsel that ultimately did not succeed.