Shloka 17
पुनर्दीव्याम भद्रं ते वनवासाय पाण्डवै: । एवमेतान् वशे कर्तु शक्ष्याम: पुरुषर्षभ
punar dīvyāma bhadraṁ te vanavāsāya pāṇḍavaiḥ | evam etān vaśe kartuṁ śakṣyāmaḥ puruṣarṣabha ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Moga sejahtera atasmu; marilah kita berjudi sekali lagi dengan para Pāṇḍava, dengan pembuangan ke rimba sebagai taruhannya. Dengan cara ini, wahai unggul di antara lelaki, kita akan dapat menundukkan mereka di bawah kuasa kita.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how courteous speech can mask unethical intent: Duryodhana frames a renewed dice game as a strategic tool to subjugate the Pāṇḍavas, illustrating the moral danger of using deceitful means to gain power.
After the earlier gambling episode, Duryodhana urges that the dice game be held again, this time with the condition that the Pāṇḍavas must accept forest exile as the stake, aiming to secure their defeat and bring them under Kaurava control.