Shloka 3
प्रवृत्तं धार्तराष्ट्रस्य चक्र राज्ञो महात्मन: । पराजिता: पाण्डवेया विपत्तिं परमां गता:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: pravṛttaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrasya cakraṃ rājño mahātmanaḥ | parājitāḥ pāṇḍaveyā vipattiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。かくして、持国の子――大いなる心を持つと称される王――のために王権の車輪は回り始め、パーンダヴァたちは敗れて、最も深い災厄へと落ち込んだ。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unjust gain of power can coincide with the suffering of the righteous, emphasizing that political victory achieved through adharma brings severe consequences later; it frames the ethical tension between outward success and inner legitimacy.
After the events of the dice-game, Duryodhana’s dominance is established—his ‘wheel of kingship’ begins to turn—while the Pāṇḍavas are portrayed as defeated and plunged into extreme misfortune, foreshadowing exile and the eventual drive toward war.