Shloka 21
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
अजुन उवाच ईशो राजा पूर्वमासीद् ग्लहे नः कुन्तीसुतो धर्मराजो महात्मा । ईशस्त्वयं कस्य पराजितात्मा तज्जानी ध्वं कुरव: सर्व एव,अर्जुनने कहा--कुन्तीनन्दन महात्मा धर्मराज राजा युधिष्ठिर पहले तो हमें दाँवपर लगानेके अधिकारी थे ही, किंतु जब वे अपने शरीरको ही हार गये, तब किसके स्वामी रहे? इस बातपर सब कौरव विचार करें
arjuna uvāca | īśo rājā pūrvam āsīd glāhe naḥ kuntīsuto dharmarājo mahātmā | īśas tv ayaṁ kasya parājitātmā taj jānīdhvaṁ kuravaḥ sarva eva ||
Arjuna berkata: “Dahulu, dalam permainan ini, raja—Dharma-rāja Yudhishthira, putera Kuntī yang berhati agung—memang tuan kami yang sah, maka berkuasalah dia mempertaruhkan kami. Tetapi setelah dia kalah bahkan akan dirinya sendiri, siapakah lagi yang dapat dia kuasai? Biarlah semua kaum Kuru menimbang perkara ini.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority depends on legitimate agency: once a person has lost his own freedom (having staked and lost himself), he no longer has the moral or legal standing to dispose of others. Arjuna frames this as a dharmic inquiry into consent, ownership, and the limits of power.
In the Kuru assembly during the dice-game aftermath, Arjuna challenges the validity of the Pandavas being staked after Yudhiṣṭhira has already lost himself. He urges the Kurus to deliberate on whether Yudhiṣṭhira could still be their ‘lord’ and thus capable of wagering them.