Shloka 5
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
बाह्लीको रथमाहार्षीज्जाम्बूनदविभूषितम् । सुदक्षिणस्तु युयुजे श्वेतैः काम्बोजजै्हयै:,भारत! राजालोग युधिष्ठिरके अभिषेकके लिये स्वयं ही प्रयत्न करके शान्तचित्त हो सत्कारपूर्वक छोटे-बड़े पात्र उठा-उठाकर ले आये थे। बाह्नीकनरेश रथ ले आये, जो सुवर्णसे सजाया गया था। सुदक्षिणने उस रथमें काम्बोजदेशके सफेद घोड़े जोत दिये
bāhlīko ratham āhārṣīj jāmbūnadavibhūṣitam | sudakṣiṇas tu yuyuje śvetaiḥ kāmboja-jaiḥ hayaiḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “The king of Bāhlīka brought a chariot adorned with Jāmbūnada gold; and Sudakṣiṇa yoked to that chariot white horses bred in the land of Kāmboja.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public rituals and gifts are not merely devotional acts; they also function as instruments of royal legitimacy and political messaging. The verse highlights how wealth, prestige objects (a gold-adorned chariot), and elite resources (Kāmboja horses) are mobilized to support or signal alignment within a larger contest for status.
Duryodhana enumerates contributions made for the ceremonial occasion connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s consecration: the Bāhlīka king brings an ornate chariot, and Sudakṣiṇa harnesses it with white horses from Kāmboja—details that emphasize the scale and splendor of the preparations.