Shloka 9
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच > आ/उकलक क निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । शकुनिर्युधिष्ठिरमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यह सुनकर कपटका आश्रय ग्रहण करके शकुनिने पुन: अपनी ही जीतका निश्चय करके युधिष्ठिरसे कहा--“इस दाँवपर भी मेरी ही विजय हुई”
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata |
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ജനമേജയാ! ഇതു കേട്ട് വഞ്ചനയെ ആശ്രയിച്ച ശകുനി വീണ്ടും തന്റെ ജയമെന്നു ഉറപ്പിച്ചു യുധിഷ്ഠിരനോടു പറഞ്ഞു—“ഈ പണത്തിലും വിജയം എനിക്കുതന്നെ.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when deceit is normalized: adharma (fraudulent play) gains power not merely through skill but through a victim’s willingness to keep consenting to an unjust contest. It warns that dharma requires discernment—refusing corrupt frameworks, not only maintaining personal virtue within them.
In the dice-game sequence of the Sabha Parva, Śakuni—known for manipulative gambling—speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira after adopting deceitful tactics. He asserts confidence in winning again, pressing Yudhiṣṭhira toward further wagering and deepening the Pandavas’ entanglement in a rigged game.