Shloka 5
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
इदं जितमिदं लब्धमिति श्रुत्वा पराजितान् । द्यूतकाले महाराज स्मयसे सम कुमारवत्
idaṁ jitam idaṁ labdham iti śrutvā parājitān | dyūtakāle mahārāja smayase sama kumāravat ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó grande rei, no jogo de dados, quando ouvias de teus filhos: ‘Isto foi vencido, isto foi ganho’, e vias os Pāṇḍavas serem derrotados, tu sorrias — como uma criança.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse censures a ruler’s childish delight in unjust gain: rejoicing at others’ defeat—especially through gambling—reveals attachment and moral blindness, undermining dharma and responsible kingship.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra of the dice-game: as the Kauravas announced their winnings and the Pāṇḍavas’ loss, the king smiled like a child—an implicit rebuke of his complicity and partiality.