Shloka 20

अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game

Devanagari script

विसंज्ञान्‌ भूमिपान्‌ दृष्टवा मां च ते प्राहसंस्तदा । ततः प्रह्ृष्टो बीभत्सु: प्रादाद्धेमविषाणिनाम्‌

Transliteration

visaṁjñān bhūmipān dṛṣṭvā māṁ ca te prāhasaṁs tadā | tataḥ prahṛṣṭo bībhatsuḥ prādād hemaviṣāṇinām ||

Translation

Disse Duryodhana: “Vendo-me a mim e àqueles reis estendidos no chão, sem sentidos, riram alto naquele momento. Então Arjuna —chamado Bībhatsu—, deleitado com o espetáculo, distribuiu entre os brāhmaṇas mais eminentes quinhentos touros com os chifres revestidos de ouro.”

Word by Word

• विसंज्ञान्: unconscious (ones)
• विसंज्ञान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विसंज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भूमिपान्: kings (earth-protectors)
• भूमिपान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्राहसन्: laughed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• ततः: thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• प्रहृष्टः: delighted
• प्रहृष्टः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रहृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बीभत्सुः: Bībhatsu (Arjuna)
• बीभत्सुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीभत्सु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रादात्: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• हेमविषाणिनाम्: of (those) having golden horns
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमविषाणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (contextually masc. for bulls), Genitive, Plural

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Arjuna (Bībhatsu)
• kings (bhūmipāḥ)
• brāhmaṇas
• bulls (cattle) with gold-plated horns (hemaviṣāṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral danger of taking pleasure in another’s humiliation. Even when followed by acts that appear meritorious (lavish gifts to brāhmaṇas), mockery and triumphalism can deepen enmity and become a seed of future violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana recounts that he and other kings were seen lying unconscious, while others laughed loudly. Afterward Arjuna, pleased, distributed a large charitable gift—bulls with gold-plated horns—to leading brāhmaṇas, turning the moment into a public display of prosperity and patronage.