Shloka 6
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय ६१ — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः, सभाधर्मः, सत्यवचन-नियमः
वहन्ति नैषां मुच्येत पदाद् भूमिमुपस्पृशन् । एतद् राजन् धन महां तेन दीव्याम्यहं त्वया
vahanti naiṣāṃ mucyeta padād bhūmim upaspṛśan | etad rājan dhana mahān tena dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “They are borne along in such a way that none who falls before them can escape by setting foot upon the ground. This, O King, is great wealth; therefore I will play at dice with you for it.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the allure of extraordinary wealth can override prudent judgment, even for a dharma-minded king. It implicitly warns that desire and fascination with riches can draw one into ethically perilous actions such as gambling.
In the royal assembly context of the dice-game episode, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the king he is to play against, describing a remarkable form of wealth and declaring that he will gamble with him for that stake.