Shloka 6

Adhyāya 59: Vidura’s Admonition to Duryodhana after the Summons of Draupadī (सभा पर्व)

Devanagari script

न हि मान प्रशंसन्ति निकृती कितवस्य हि । शकुने मैव नो जैषीरमार्गेण नृशंसवत्‌

Transliteration

na hi mānaṃ praśaṃsanti nikṛtī kitavasya hi | śakune mā eva no jaiṣīr amārgeṇa nṛśaṃsavat, śakune ||

Translation

尤提希提罗说道：“若荣誉出自欺诈与赌徒的诡计，便不值得称颂。舍俱尼啊，莫如残忍之人一般，循不义之途来胜过我们；莫让胜利因诈术而归于你。”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• मानम्: honour/respect
• मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मान
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise/approve
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस्
• Form: present, third, plural, parasmaipada

• निकृतयः: deceits/cheats; deceitful persons
• निकृतयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निकृति
• Form: feminine, nominative, plural

• कितवस्य: of the gambler
• कितवस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कितव
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• हि: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• शकुने: O Shakuni
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• मा: do not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा
• Form: prohibitive particle (with imperative/optative)

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• नः: us
• नः: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: first, accusative, plural

• जैषीः: win/conquer
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: aorist (injunctive/imperative sense under prohibition), second, singular, parasmaipada

• अमार्गेण: by an improper way/unjust means
• अमार्गेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमार्ग
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

• नृशंसवत्: like a cruel man/cruelly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नृशंसवत्
• Form: adverbial -वत्

• शकुने: O Shakuni
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śakuni

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Honor gained through fraud is not worthy of praise; victory should be sought only through righteous means (dharma), not through deceitful manipulation.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the dice-game episode in the Sabha Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Śakuni, condemning the use of trickery in gambling and warning him not to win by improper, cruel means.