Shloka 5
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
इदं जितमिदं लब्धमिति श्रुत्वा पराजितान् । द्यूतकाले महाराज स्मयसे सम कुमारवत्
idaṁ jitam idaṁ labdham iti śrutvā parājitān | dyūtakāle mahārāja smayase sama kumāravat ||
سنجے نے کہا—اے مہاراج! جوا کھیلتے وقت جب تم اپنے بیٹوں کی زبان سے سنتے کہ ‘یہ جیت لیا، یہ حاصل کر لیا’ اور پانڈوؤں کو شکست کھاتے دیکھتے، تو تم بچے کی طرح مسکرا اٹھتے تھے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse censures a ruler’s childish delight in unjust gain: rejoicing at others’ defeat—especially through gambling—reveals attachment and moral blindness, undermining dharma and responsible kingship.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra of the dice-game: as the Kauravas announced their winnings and the Pāṇḍavas’ loss, the king smiled like a child—an implicit rebuke of his complicity and partiality.