Victory breeds hatred; the defeated sleep in suffering. Having abandoned both victory and defeat, the peaceful sleep happily.

Jayaṃ veraṃ pasavati — victory breeds hatred: jaya is victory; vera is hatred, hostility. Victory over another does not produce peace but hatred in the defeated. This hatred is the seed of the next conflict, the next revenge.

Dukkhaṃ seti parājito — the defeated sleep in suffering: neither victor nor defeated sleep peacefully. The victor fears revenge; the defeated burns with resentment. Both are trapped in the cycle of violence.

Upasanto sukhaṃ seti hitvā jayaparājayaṃ — having abandoned victory and defeat, the peaceful sleep happily: upasanta is one who has achieved inner peace. Hitvā is having abandoned. Abandoning both victory and defeat is exiting the competitive game entirely.

This verse has profound political and social implications. True peace is not achieved by “winning” but by transcending the victory-defeat duality. In international conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, or internal conflicts, this teaching points out that the only stable peace is one that does not depend on winning.