Shloka 10
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच राजपुत्रा इमे राजज्छोभन्ते यैर्विभूषिता: । कुण्डलानि च निष्काश्च सर्व राजविभूषणम् । एतन्मम धन राजंस्तेन दीव्याम्यहं त्वया
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca rājaputrā ime rājann śobhante yair vibhūṣitāḥ | kuṇḍalāni ca niṣkāś ca sarvaṃ rājavibhūṣaṇam | etan mama dhanaṃ rājan tena dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā |
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O König! Diese Prinzen glänzen, geschmückt mit den Zierden, die sie tragen: Ohrringe und goldene Halsgeschmeide, ja der ganze königliche Schmuck. Das ist mein Vermögen, o König; damit werde ich mit dir spielen.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical peril of gambling: even royal wealth and symbols of dignity become mere stakes, showing how attachment and the lure of play can erode judgment and dharmic restraint.
During the dice match, Yudhiṣṭhira declares that the royal ornaments—earrings and gold neck-ornaments worn by the princes—constitute his wealth, and he offers them as his stake to continue gambling with the king.