Sabha Parva Adhyaya 58 Shloka 13 - Mahabharata | Russian | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 13

अक्षविजय-प्रसङ्गः

Escalation of Wagers and Shakuni’s Repeated Declarations of Victory

Devanagari script

विदुर उवाच गान्धारराज: शकुनिर्विशाम्पते राजातिदेवी कृतहस्तो मताक्ष: । विविंशतिक्षित्रसेनश्ष॒ राजा सत्यव्रत: पुरुमित्रो जयश्वल

Transliteration

vidura uvāca—gāndhārarājaḥ śakunir viśāmpate rājātidevī kṛtahasto matākṣaḥ | viviṁśatiś citrasenaś ca rājā satyavrataḥ purumitraś ca jayaś ca ||

Translation

Видура сказал: «О владыка народа (царь), там находится Шакуни, царь Гандхары — искуснейший игрок, безупречно умеющий бросать кости по своему желанию и знающий сокровенные уловки игры. Кроме него, там будут также царь Вивимшати, Читрасена, царь Сатьяврата, Пурумитра и Джая».

Word by Word

विदुरःVidura

उवाचsaid

गान्धारराजःthe king of Gandhāra

शकुनिःŚakuni

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

राजाking

अतिदेवीAtidevī (proper name)

कृतहस्तःskilled; having a practiced hand

मताक्षःone whose eyes are intent/knowing (epithet; lit. 'having (such) eyes')

विविंशतिःViviṁśati (proper name)

चित्रसेनःCitrasena (proper name)

चand

राजाking

सत्यव्रतःSatyavrata (proper name; lit. 'true-vowed')

पुरुमित्रःPurumitra (proper name; lit. 'having many friends')

जयश्वलःJayaśvala (proper name)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Śakuni

Gāndhāra

Viviṁśati

Citrasena

Satyavrata

Purumitra

Jaya

dice (akṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores an ethical warning: when a contest is shaped by a master of manipulation (Śakuni in dice), the appearance of fair play collapses. Vidura’s naming of such a figure highlights the dharmic danger of entering games or agreements where deceit and unequal skill are intentionally used to entrap others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura is informing the king about who will be present/active in the dice setting, emphasizing that Śakuni—the Gāndhāra king—is a consummate dice-player who can cast dice as he wishes and knows the tricks of the game, along with other named kings/persons.