Shloka 25
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
वैदूर्यान् काज्चनान् दान्तान् फलैज्योतीरसै: सह | कृष्णॉल्लोहितवर्णाश्वि निर्वत्स्पामि मनोरमान्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | vaidūryān kāñcanān dāntān phalair jyotīrasaiḥ saha | kṛṣṇāllohitavarṇāś ca nirvatsyāmi manoramān |
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Ich werde anmutige Spielsteine in Bewegung setzen—grün wie Vaidūrya-Edelsteine, gelb wie Gold, und andere aus Elfenbein gefertigt—dazu Steine in Schwarz und Rot sowie Würfel, die mit glänzenden Punkten gezeichnet sind. So werde ich, in der Gestalt des Brāhmaṇa namens Kaṅka, ein Mitglied des Hofes des edlen Königs Virāṭa werden; denn ich kenne die Kunst des Würfelspiels, und dieses Spiel ist mir lieb.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a dharmic person may adopt a socially humble role and conceal identity for a higher duty—protecting others and fulfilling a vow—yet must remain vigilant about personal weaknesses. Yudhiṣṭhira’s choice highlights strategic restraint: using a known skill (dice) within the ethical frame of the incognito year, while implicitly acknowledging the moral peril that gambling once brought.
At the start of the Virāṭa Parva, the Pāṇḍavas plan their final year of exile in disguise. Here Yudhiṣṭhira declares he will enter King Virāṭa’s court as the brāhmaṇa Kaṅka, serving as a courtly companion skilled in dice, moving attractive gaming pieces and dice as part of his assumed occupation.