Mahabharata 3.56.31 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 56, Shloka 31
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
एतावदेव विबुधा यथावृत्तमुपाह्तम् मयाइशेषे प्रमाणं तु भवन्तस्त्रिदशेश्वरा:
etāvad eva vibudhā yathāvṛttam upāhṛtam mayā | aśeṣe pramāṇaṃ tu bhavantas tridaśeśvarāḥ ||
Nala sprach: „O weise Götter, dies allein ist der Bericht, wie es sich wahrhaft zugetragen hat, und ich habe ihn vollständig vorgetragen. O Herren der Dreiunddreißig, in dieser ganzen Angelegenheit seid ihr selbst die entscheidende Instanz — ja, ihr seid die Zeugen.“
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical accountability: one should report events truthfully (yathāvṛttam) and recognize legitimate witnesses and authority (pramāṇa), especially when moral judgment is required.
Nala concludes his statement by affirming that he has narrated the events exactly as they occurred and appeals to the gods as the final witnesses and arbiters regarding the matter connected with Damayantī.
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