Shloka 3
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
अयुतं प्रयुतं चैव शड्कुं पद्म तथार्बुदम् खर्व शड्खं निखर्व च महापद्मं च कोटय:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ayutaṃ prayutaṃ caiva śaṅkuṃ padma tathārbudam | kharvaśaṅkhaṃ nikhārvaṃ ca mahāpadmaṃ ca koṭayaḥ |
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Ich besitze Reichtum in jeder gewaltigen Maßzahl — ayuta, prayuta, śaṅku, padma, arbuda, kharva, śaṅkha, nikhārva, mahāpadma, ja selbst koṭis (crores). O König, spiele: Dieses Vermögen setze ich als Pfand und würfle mit dir.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to status and the compulsion to uphold royal honor can override prudent judgment. Even a ruler committed to dharma may be drawn into ethically dangerous choices—here, consenting to gamble—when pride and social pressure eclipse discernment.
In the dice-hall episode of the Sabha Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira responds to the challenge to play by declaring the immense wealth he possesses in escalating numerical units and offering to stake it. This sets the stage for the catastrophic progression of wagers in the gambling match.