Shloka 6
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच गवाश्चव॑ं बहुधेनूकमसंख्येयमजाविकम् । यत् किंचिदनुपर्णाशां प्राक् सिन्धोरपि सौबल । एतन्मम धन सर्व तेन दीव्याम्यहं त्वया
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | gavāś ca aśvān bahudhenu-kam asaṅkhyeyam ajāvikam | yat kiñcid anuparṇāśāṃ prāk sindhor api saubala | etan mama dhanaṃ sarvaṃ tena dīvyāmi ahaṃ tvayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Sohn Subalas, was immer ich an Rindern und Pferden besitze — dazu unzählige Herden von Ziegen und Schafen — reicht bis in die Gegend von Parṇāśā und sogar östlich des Sindhu. All dies ist mein Reichtum. Mit diesem gesamten Besitz setze ich mich im Spiel gegen dich ein.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how gambling can erode dharma: a ruler begins to treat living wealth and dependents as mere stakes, losing the restraint and protective responsibility expected of a king.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira declares that he will wager all his livestock and wealth—described as vast and spread across regions—against Saubala (Śakuni), signaling an intensification of the game’s stakes.