Shloka 31
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय ६१ — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः, सभाधर्मः, सत्यवचन-नियमः
वैशम्पायन उवाच ४: 4 आट निकृतिं समुपाश्रित: । शकुनिर्युधिष्टिमभाषत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! ऐसा सुनकर छलका आश्रय लेनेवाले शकुनिने पूर्ववत् पूर्ण निश्चयके साथ युधिष्ठिससे कहा--“यह दाँव भी मैंने ही जीता”
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | etac chrutvā nikṛtiṁ samupāśritaḥ śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata pūrvavat pūrṇa-niścayena — “ayaṁ dāvo ’pi mayā eva jitaḥ” |
Wika ni Vaiśampāyana: Nang marinig iyon, si Śakuni—na kumakapit sa panlilinlang—ay muling nagsalita kay Yudhiṣṭhira, gaya ng dati, nang may matatag na pasya: “Ang tayang ito man ay akin ding naipanalo.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical corruption of the dice match: Śakuni openly operates through nikṛti (deceit) while presenting outcomes as legitimate victory. It frames a dharma-crisis where Yudhiṣṭhira’s commitment to truthfulness and keeping agreements is exploited by an opponent who has abandoned fairness.
After the preceding exchange, Śakuni responds to Yudhiṣṭhira with unwavering confidence, declaring that he has won this wager as well. The narration emphasizes that Śakuni’s ‘victory’ rests on trickery, intensifying the pressure on Yudhiṣṭhira within the escalating sequence of stakes in the dice hall.