Shloka 131
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच 52886: 4 २#44028 निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । शकुनिर्युधिष्ठटिरमभाषत
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ | śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Setelah bersandar pada helah tipu daya, Śakuni pun berbicara kepada Yudhiṣṭhira. Saat itu menandai perubahan yang disengajakan daripada kelakuan adil kepada manipulasi, lalu menegakkan ketegangan etika peristiwa ini: seorang raja yang benar sedang ditarik masuk ke dalam pertarungan yang dibentuk oleh kelicikan, bukan oleh dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical contrast between dharma and nikṛti (deceit): when a situation is engineered through fraud, even a virtuous person can be pressured into harmful choices. It warns that the moral quality of an action is shaped not only by intent but also by the integrity of the means and the context created by others.
The narrator indicates that Śakuni, adopting deceitful tactics, begins speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira—introducing the manipulative approach that will drive the dice-game episode, where Yudhiṣṭhira is coaxed into a perilous wager under unfair conditions.