Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सौबलं च तदा तात नीतिमानिति मन्यते

Transliteration

saubalaṃ ca tadā tāta nītimān iti manyate

Translation

ಮತ್ತು ಆ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ, ತಾತ, ಅವನು ಸೌಬಲನನ್ನು (ಶಕುನಿಯನ್ನು) ಸಹ ನೀತಿವಂತನೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿದನು.

Word by Word

• सौबलम्: Saubala (son of Subala; Shakuni)
• सौबलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौबल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तदा: then, at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• तात: O dear (sir/son)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नीतिमान्: wise in policy, prudent
• नीतिमान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नीतिमत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• मन्यते: thinks, considers
• मन्यते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (मन्यते)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Saubala (Śakuni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in wartime deliberations, figures are evaluated through the lens of nīti (policy and strategy). It implicitly raises an ethical tension in the epic: being ‘nītimān’ can mean skill in political calculation, which may or may not align with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at that point in the unfolding events, someone (contextually a leading Kaurava decision-maker) considered Saubala (Śakuni) to be prudent and politically astute, indicating Śakuni’s perceived influence in counsel and strategy.