Shloka 28
अध्याय २९ — वासुदेव–संजय संवादः
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and the Ethics of Governance
निकर्तने देवने योउद्धितीय- श्छन्नोपथ: साधुदेवी मताक्ष: । यो दुर्जयो देवरथेन संख्ये स चित्रसेन: कुशलं तात वाच्य:
nikartane devane yo ’dvitīyaś channopathaḥ sādhudevīmatākṣaḥ | yo durjayo devarathena saṅkhye sa citrasenaḥ kuśalaṃ tāta vācyaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang kukasihi, sampaikan juga pertanyaanku dengan hormat tentang kesejahteraan Citrasena—tiada bandingan dalam seni dadu dan perjudian, yang menyembunyikan helahnya dan bermain dengan kemahiran yang terhitung, mahir melontar dadu; dan yang di medan perang pun sukar ditundukkan, walau lawannya menaiki kereta ilahi. Tanyakan khabar baiknya dan laporkan kepadaku.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when describing a person skilled in morally ambiguous arts like gambling and deception, the speaker maintains disciplined speech and diplomatic propriety—inquiring after welfare rather than indulging in praise of vice. The verse highlights the tension between skill (kauśala) and ethics (dharma), and how righteous conduct often expresses itself through restraint and correct social address.
Yudhiṣṭhira instructs someone (addressed as ‘tāta’) to convey greetings and ask after the well-being of Citrasena, portraying him as exceptionally skilled in dice-play and also formidable in battle—so formidable that even a warrior on a divine chariot would find him hard to defeat.