Shloka 3

Devanagari script

प्रवृत्तं धार्तराष्ट्रस्य चक्र राज्ञो महात्मन: । पराजिता: पाण्डवेया विपत्तिं परमां गता:,“धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र महामना राजा दुर्योधनका समस्त भूमण्डलपर एकछत्र राज्य हो गया। पाण्डव पराजित होकर बड़ी भारी विपत्तिमें पड़ गये

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: pravṛttaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrasya cakraṃ rājño mahātmanaḥ | parājitāḥ pāṇḍaveyā vipattiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||

Translation

ధృతరాష్ట్రుని కుమారుడైన ఆ మహాత్మ రాజు (దుర్యోధనుడు) యొక్క రాజ్యచక్రం తిరగడం ప్రారంభమైంది; పరాజితులైన పాండవులు ఘోరమైన విపత్తులో పడ్డారు.

Word by Word

प्रवृत्तम्set in motion; established; come to pass

धार्तराष्ट्रस्यof Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s (son)

चand

चक्रmade; did; brought about

राज्ञःof the king

महात्मनःof the great-souled (king)

पराजिताःdefeated

पाण्डवेयाःthe sons/party of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)

विपत्तिम्calamity; misfortune

परमाम्supreme; very great

गताःhaving gone; having fallen into

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Duryodhana

Pāṇḍavas

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how unjust gain of power can coincide with the suffering of the righteous, emphasizing that political victory achieved through adharma brings severe consequences later; it frames the ethical tension between outward success and inner legitimacy.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the events of the dice-game, Duryodhana’s dominance is established—his ‘wheel of kingship’ begins to turn—while the Pāṇḍavas are portrayed as defeated and plunged into extreme misfortune, foreshadowing exile and the eventual drive toward war.