Shloka 3

Devanagari script

यदा सभायां राजानमनक्षज्ञं युधिष्ठिरम्‌ । अजैषीच्छकुनिर्ज्ञानात्‌ क्व ते धर्मस्तदा गत:

Transliteration

yadā sabhāyāṁ rājānam anakṣajñaṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | ajaiṣīc chakunir jñānāt kva te dharmas tadā gataḥ ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。「王の सभाにおいて、欺きであると承知のうえでシャクニが、賽の戯れを知らぬユディシュティラ王を打ち負かしたとき、その時おまえのダルマはどこへ行っていたのか。」

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• सभायाम्: in the assembly
• सभायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभा
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• राजानम्: the king
• राजानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अक्षज्ञम्: not knowing dice-play
• अक्षज्ञम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरम्: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अजैषीत्: defeated / won against
• अजैषीत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: Aorist (luṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• ज्ञानात्: from knowledge; knowingly
• ज्ञानात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• धर्मः: dharma / righteousness
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śakuni
• sabhā (royal assembly/court)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse indicts selective morality: one cannot claim dharma in war or judgment while ignoring blatant adharma committed earlier—especially deliberate deceit against an unskilled opponent in a public royal setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya challenges the Kaurava side (implicitly Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his party) by recalling the dice-hall episode: Śakuni knowingly cheated and defeated Yudhiṣṭhira, and Sañjaya asks where their sense of dharma was at that moment.