युधिष्ठिर उवाच
सहस्रसंख्या नागा मे मत्तास् तिष्ठन्ति सौबल ॥
हेमकक्षाः कृतापीडाः पद्मिनो हेममालिनः ॥
सुदान्ता राजवहनाः सर्वशब्दक्षमा युधि ॥
ईषादन्ता महाकायाः सर्वे चाष्टकरेणवः ॥
सर्वे च पुरभेत्तारो नगमेघनिभा गजाः ॥
एतद् राजन् धनं मह्यं तेन दीव्याम्य् अहं त्वया ॥
वैशंपायन उवाच
तम् एवंवादिनं पार्थं प्रहसन्न् इव सौबलः ॥
जितम् इत्य् एव शकुनिर् युधिष्ठिरम् अभाषत ॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
sahasrasaṃkhyā nāgā me mattās tiṣṭhanti saubala ||
hemakakṣāḥ kṛtāpīḍāḥ padmino hemamālinaḥ ||
sudāntā rājavahanāḥ sarvaśabdakṣamā yudhi ||
īṣādantā mahākāyāḥ sarve cāṣṭakareṇavaḥ ||
sarve ca purabhettāro nagameghanibhā gajāḥ ||
etad rājan dhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā ||
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tam evaṃvādinaṃ pārthaṃ prahasann iva saubalaḥ ||
jitam ity eva śakunir yudhiṣṭhiram abhāṣata ||
[Yudhishthira:] "A thousand in number stand my elephants, flowing with must, O Saubala — gold-girdled, with head-ornaments, lotus-marked, gold-garlanded, well-trained, royal mounts, enduring every noise of battle, tusked, great-bodied, each with eight cow-elephants, all breakers of fortresses, like mountains and clouds; this is my wealth, O king, with it I play against you." And Shakuni, as if laughing at the son of Pritha speaking so, said to Yudhishthira only: "Won!"
d3f9123d4618 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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Deceit no longer hides itself — Shakuni answers "as if laughing": to the cheat's triumph is now mixed mockery of his victim. It is telling that mere winnings are not enough for the dishonest man; gloating is sweet to him too — he not only despoils but amuses himself at the loser's expense. The verse teaches that evil has its own cruel joy — delight in another's misfortune. And laughter at Yudhishthira as he recounts what he is losing is a baseness beyond robbery: to insult dignity on top of stripping away wealth. Thus the fullness of wrongdoing shows itself: it is not content with plunder but craves humiliation as well. One who laughs at the man he is robbing betrays not the triumph of strength but the smallness of his soul.