Shloka 37
यच्चैषां द्रविणं किंचिद् या चैषा ये च पाण्डवा: । सौबलेनेह तत् सर्व धर्मेण विजितं वसु,इन पाण्डवोंके पास जो कुछ धन है, जो यह द्रौपदी है तथा जो ये पाण्डव हैं, इन सबको सुबलपुत्र शकुनिने यहाँ जूएके धनके रूपमें धर्मपूर्वक जीता है
yac caiṣāṁ draviṇaṁ kiñcid yā caiṣā ye ca pāṇḍavāḥ | saubaleneha tat sarvaṁ dharmeṇa vijitaṁ vasu ||
“Bất cứ của cải nào họ có, cùng người đàn bà này (Draupadī), và chính các Pāṇḍava này nữa—tất thảy đều đã được con trai Subala (Śakuni) thắng tại đây, như chiến lợi phẩm hợp pháp của cuộc chơi, theo danh nghĩa dharma.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how the vocabulary of dharma and legality can be weaponized to legitimize wrongdoing. By calling the dice-winnings ‘dharma-based,’ Karṇa highlights a recurring Mahābhārata concern: formal rules and technicalities do not automatically equal moral righteousness, especially when coercion, deceit, and exploitation are involved.
In the Kuru assembly after the dice match, Karṇa asserts that Śakuni has ‘won’ not only the Pāṇḍavas’ wealth but also Draupadī and the Pāṇḍavas themselves, treating them as property transferred by the game. This claim supports the attempt to subject Draupadī to humiliation and to silence objections by presenting the outcome as binding and lawful.