Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एषो<क्षकुशलो जिद्दो द्यूतकृत्‌ कितव: शठ:

Transliteration

eṣo 'kṣakuśalo jiddho dyūtakṛt kitavaḥ śaṭhaḥ

Translation

एषोऽक्षकुशलो जीर्णो द्यूतकृत् कितवः शठः॥

Word by Word

• एषः: this (man)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अक्ष-कुशलः: skilled at dice
• अक्ष-कुशलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुशल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जित्: winner, conqueror
• जित्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्यूत-कृत्: one who makes/arranges gambling; gambler
• द्यूत-कृत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कितवः: gambler, cheat
• कितवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कितव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शठः: deceitful, rogue
• शठः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse condemns gambling-associated deceit by labeling the person as a practiced dice-expert and a cheat, highlighting how skill used for manipulation becomes ethically blameworthy (adharmic), especially in a context where truth and fair conduct are already under strain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya characterizes a person (not named in this line) as an expert in dice and inherently deceitful, using morally charged terms to frame the listener’s judgment about that individual’s reliability and intentions amid the events of the war narrative.