Shloka 21
युधिछिर उवाच यो नः संख्ये नौरिव पारनेता जेता रिपूणां राजपुत्रस्तरस्वी । अनर्हता लोकवीरेण तेन दीव्याम्यहं शकुने फाल्गुनेन,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--शकुने! जो युद्धरूपी समुद्रमें हमलोगोंको नौकाकी भाँति पार लगानेवाले हैं तथा शत्रुओंपर विजय पाते हैं, वे लोकविख्यात वेगशाली वीर राजकुमार अर्जुन यद्यपि दाँवपर लगानेयोग्य नहीं हैं, तो भी उनको दाँवपर लगाकर मैं तुम्हारे साथ खेलता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | yo naḥ saṅkhye naur iva pāraṇetā jetā ripūṇāṃ rājaputras tarasvī | anarhatā lokavīreṇa tena dīvyāmy ahaṃ śakune phālgunena ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Śakuni, though he is not fit to be staked, I will nevertheless gamble with you by staking Phālguna (Arjuna)—that world-renowned, swift and mighty prince who, in the battle-line, would carry us across like a boatman over the sea of war and who is a conqueror of enemies.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a collapse of ethical judgment: even while acknowledging that a person is not a legitimate object of wagering, Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds due to addiction to play, social pressure, and misplaced confidence. It underscores how adharma can advance through rationalization—knowing what is wrong yet doing it anyway.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira continues escalating his stakes. Here he declares that he will stake Phālguna (Arjuna), praising him as the Pandavas’ ‘boat’ in the sea of battle and a famed enemy-conqueror, even while admitting that such a hero is not properly stakeable.