Shloka 5

Book 3 (Āraṇyaka-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Alliance Gathering; Arjuna’s Praise of Keśava; Draupadī’s Duḥkha-nivedana; Assurances and Vows

Devanagari script

वीरसेनसुतो यैस्तु राज्यात्‌ प्रभ्रंशित: पुरा । अतर्कितविनाशश्ष्‌ देवनेन विशाम्पते,तथा जिन दोषोंने पूर्वकालमें वीरसेनपुत्र महाराज नलको राजसिंहासनसे च्युत किया। नरेश्वर! जूआ खेलनेसे सहसा ऐसा सर्वनाश उपस्थित हो जाता है, जो कल्पनामें भी नहीं आ सकता

Transliteration

vīrasenasuto yais tu rājyāt prabhraṁśitaḥ purā | atarkita-vināśaś ca devena viśāmpate ||

Translation

O Herr des Volkes, durch das Würfelspiel wurde einst Nala, der Sohn Vīrasenas, aus seinem Reich gestürzt. Aus dem Spiel mit den Würfeln erwächst ein jäher, unvorhergesehener Untergang—eine Vernichtung, die der Geist nicht einmal zu ahnen vermag.

Word by Word

वीरसेनसुतःthe son of Vīrasena (Nala)

यैःby whom/with which (persons)

तुbut/indeed

राज्यात्from the kingdom

प्रभ्रंशितःmade to fall; dethroned

पुराformerly/once

अतर्कितविनाशःan unimagined/unexpected ruin

देवनेनby gambling; by play (of dice)

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people (king)

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Nala

Vīrasena

dice (deva)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Gambling (dice-play) can bring sudden, unimaginable ruin; a ruler should avoid such vice because it destroys sovereignty, judgment, and stability, as illustrated by Nala’s fall.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a king (‘lord of the people’) and cites the earlier example of Nala, son of Vīrasena, who was dethroned due to gambling, emphasizing how quickly dice can cause total collapse.