Shloka 386

Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration

Devanagari script

भारत! मैं इस भूमण्डलमें द्यूतविद्याका विशेष जानकार हूँ, द्यूतक्रीड़ाका मर्म जानता हूँ; दाव लगानेका भी मुझे ज्ञान है तथा पासे फेंकनेकी कलाका भी मैं विशेषज्ञ हूँ ।।

Transliteration

duryodhana uvāca | dyūtapriyaś ca kaunteyo na ca jānāti devitum |

Translation

Sinabi ni Duryodhana: “O Bhārata! Sa ibabaw ng daigdig na ito, ako’y natatanging dalubhasa sa kaalaman ng sugal sa dice; batid ko ang lihim ng laro, alam ko ang paraan ng pagtaya, at bihasa rin ako sa sining ng paghagis ng mga dice. Ang anak ni Kuntī, si Yudhiṣṭhira, ay labis na mahilig sa sugal, ngunit hindi niya alam kung paano maglaro.” Sa konteksto, ginagawang sandata ni Duryodhana ang kahinaang ito—ang pagkahumaling ni Yudhiṣṭhira sa laro ng dice—upang siya’y maipitin at mawasak ang dharma sa pamamagitan ng isang paligsahang wari’y “legal” at wasto.

Word by Word

• {'dyūta': 'gambling

• dice-game', 'dyūtapriyaḥ': 'fond of gambling', 'Kaunteyaḥ': 'son of Kuntī

• epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira (also applicable to the Pāṇḍavas generally)', 'na': 'not', 'ca': 'and', 'jānāti': 'knows

• understands', 'devitum': 'to gamble

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Kaunteya, son of Kuntī)
• Kuntī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A personal weakness, when indulged, becomes an entry-point for unethical manipulation. The verse highlights how adharma often advances not by open force but by exploiting a vulnerable inclination under the cover of social or legal forms (a ‘game’ in the royal assembly).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal assembly setting, Duryodhana expresses confidence that Yudhiṣṭhira’s fondness for gambling exceeds his skill, implying that Yudhiṣṭhira can be drawn into a dice match and defeated—setting the stage for the catastrophic gambling episode.