Shloka 32
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
शकुनिरुवाच अस्ति ते वै प्रिया राजन् ग्लह एको5पराजित: । पणस्व कृष्णां पाञ्चालीं तया$5त्मानं पुनर्जय
śakunir uvāca—asti te vai priyā rājan glaha eko 'parājitaḥ | paṇasva kṛṣṇāṃ pāñcālīṃ tayā 'tmānaṃ punaḥ jaya ||
Śakuni sagte: „O König, dir bleibt noch ein Einsatz, den du noch nicht verloren hast—deine geliebte Draupadī. Setze Kṛṣṇā aus Pāñcāla; indem du sie einsetzt, gewinne dich selbst wieder zurück.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral collapse: treating a person as property to be wagered is a grave ethical violation. It shows how addiction, manipulation, and loss of self-governance can drive a ruler from dharma into adharma, with consequences that ripple through family and polity.
In the dice-hall, after Yudhiṣṭhira has already lost wealth and himself, Śakuni presses him to stake Draupadī, calling her the one remaining ‘unlost’ wager. This escalates the contest and sets the stage for Draupadī’s summons and the ensuing outrage.