Shloka 19
युधिछिर उवाच रथास्तावन्त एवेमे हेमदण्डा: पताकिन: । हयैर्विनीतै: सम्पन्ना रथिभिश्ित्रयोधिभि:,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--मेरे पास उतने ही अर्थात् एक हजार रथ हैं, जिनकी ध्वजाओंमें सोनेके डंडे लगे हैं। उन रथोंपर पताकाएँ फहराती रहती हैं। उनमें सधे हुए घोड़े जोते जाते हैं और विचित्र युद्ध करनेवाले रथी उनमें बैठते हैं। उन रथियोंमेंसे प्रत्येकको अधिक-से- अधिक एक सहस््र स्वर्णमुद्राएँतक वेतनमें मिलती हैं। वे युद्ध कर रहे हों या न कर रहे हों, प्रत्येक मासमें उन्हें यह वेतन प्राप्त होता रहता है। राजन! यह मेरा धन है, इसे दाँवपर लगाकर मैं तुम्हारे साथ खेलता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | rathās tāvanta eveme hemadaṇḍāḥ patākinaḥ | hayair vinītaiḥ sampannā rathibhiś citrayodhibhiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I have just so many chariots—indeed, a thousand—each bearing a banner with a golden staff. They are furnished with well-trained horses, and in them sit chariot-warriors skilled in varied modes of fighting. This is my wealth; staking it, O king, I play with you.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how material power—military assets, trained horses, and elite warriors—can be treated as mere stakes in a moment of moral weakness. In the broader ethical frame of the dice-game, it warns that attachment to wealth and confidence in resources can cloud discernment (dharma) and lead to ruinous choices.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira declares the extent of his martial wealth—bannered chariots with golden standards, trained horses, and skilled charioteers—and states that he is staking this wealth in play against the king (his opponent in the game).