Shloka 5
सभा-पर्व (अध्याय ६०) — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः सभायाम् / Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly
सर्वे वेदविद: शूरा: सर्वे भास्वरमूर्तय: । प्रावर्तत महाराज सुहृद् द्यूतमनन्तरम्,महाराज! वे सब-के-सब वेदवेत्ता एवं शूरवीर थे तथा उनके शरीर तेजोयुक्त थे। उनके बैठ जानेके अनन्तर वहाँ सुहृदोंकी द्यूतक्रीड़ा आरम्भ हुई
sarve vedavidaḥ śūrāḥ sarve bhāsvaramūrtayaḥ | prāvartata mahārāja suhṛd dyūtam anantaram ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Alle waren Kenner der Veden und alle waren tapfer; alle trugen strahlende Gestalt. Dann, o König, unmittelbar nachdem sie Platz genommen hatten, begann sogleich das Würfelspiel unter den befreundeten Verwandten.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: learning, valor, and outward brilliance do not automatically ensure self-mastery. Even eminent men may enter situations—like gambling—that can rapidly undermine dharma and relationships if restraint and wise counsel are absent.
After the assembled nobles—described as Veda-learned, heroic, and radiant—have taken their seats, the dice-game among the ‘friends/kinsmen’ begins, setting the stage for the ensuing ethical and political crisis of the Sabha Parva.