Shloka 386

Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration

Devanagari script

भारत! मैं इस भूमण्डलमें द्यूतविद्याका विशेष जानकार हूँ, द्यूतक्रीड़ाका मर्म जानता हूँ; दाव लगानेका भी मुझे ज्ञान है तथा पासे फेंकनेकी कलाका भी मैं विशेषज्ञ हूँ ।। द्यूतप्रियश्न॒ कौन्तेयो न च जानाति देवितुम्‌ । कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरको जुआ खेलना बहुत प्रिय है, परंतु वे उसे खेलना जानते नहीं हैं

Transliteration

duryodhana uvāca | dyūtapriyaś ca kaunteyo na ca jānāti devitum |

Translation

Duryodhana berkata: “Wahai Bhārata! Di muka bumi ini aku amat mahir dalam ilmu permainan dadu; aku mengetahui rahsia permainan, memahami cara mempertaruhkan, dan aku juga pakar dalam seni melontar dadu. Putera Kuntī, Yudhiṣṭhira, sangat gemar berjudi, namun dia tidak tahu cara bermain.” Dalam konteksnya, Duryodhana menjadikan kelemahan Yudhiṣṭhira—tarikannya kepada permainan dadu—sebagai senjata untuk memerangkapnya dan meruntuhkan dharma melalui suatu pertandingan yang tampak ‘sah’.

Word by Word

• {'dyūta': 'gambling

• dice-game', 'dyūtapriyaḥ': 'fond of gambling', 'Kaunteyaḥ': 'son of Kuntī

• epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira (also applicable to the Pāṇḍavas generally)', 'na': 'not', 'ca': 'and', 'jānāti': 'knows

• understands', 'devitum': 'to gamble

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Kaunteya, son of Kuntī)
• Kuntī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A personal weakness, when indulged, becomes an entry-point for unethical manipulation. The verse highlights how adharma often advances not by open force but by exploiting a vulnerable inclination under the cover of social or legal forms (a ‘game’ in the royal assembly).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal assembly setting, Duryodhana expresses confidence that Yudhiṣṭhira’s fondness for gambling exceeds his skill, implying that Yudhiṣṭhira can be drawn into a dice match and defeated—setting the stage for the catastrophic gambling episode.