Shloka 13

Devanagari script

प्रेक्षापूर्व मया द्यूतमिदमासीदुपेक्षितम्‌

Transliteration

prekṣāpūrvaṃ mayā dyūtam idam āsīd upekṣitam

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു: ഈ ദ്യൂതക്രീഡയെ ഞാൻ മുമ്പേ ആലോചിച്ച് കണ്ടിരുന്നു; എങ്കിലും അത് അവഗണിക്കപ്പെട്ടു—അതിന്റെ ഭീഷണിയിൽ എന്റെ ജാഗ്രത ശിഥിലമായി.

Word by Word

• प्रेक्षापूर्वम्: with prior consideration; after due reflection
• प्रेक्षापूर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेक्षापूर्व (प्रेक्षा + पूर्व)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• द्यूतम्: game of dice; gambling
• द्यूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यूत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• उपेक्षितम्: neglected; disregarded; overlooked
• उपेक्षितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + ईक्ष् (उपेक्ष्) → उपेक्षित (PPP)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• dyūta (dice game)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one recognizes a harmful course of action in advance, negligence and weak vigilance can still lead to moral and practical ruin; dharma requires sustained self-control, not merely prior awareness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the dice-hall context of Sabha Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the gambling match, admitting that although he had earlier considered it with caution, he nevertheless ended up overlooking its danger—an acknowledgment of his lapse that frames the unfolding calamity.