Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अयुतं प्रयुतं चैव शड्कुं पद्म तथार्बुदम्‌ खर्व शड्खं निखर्व च महापद्मं च कोटय:,अयुत, प्रयुत, शंकु, पद्म, अर्बुद, खर्व, शंख, निखर्व, महापद्म, कोटि, मध्य, परार्ध और पर इतना धन मेरे पास है। राजन! खेलो, मैं इसीको दाँवपर रखकर तुम्हारे साथ खेलता हूँ

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ayutaṃ prayutaṃ caiva śaṅkuṃ padma tathārbudam | kharvaśaṅkhaṃ nikhārvaṃ ca mahāpadmaṃ ca koṭayaḥ |

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I possess wealth in every vast measure—ayuta, prayuta, śaṅku, padma, arbuda, kharva, śaṅkha, nikhārva, mahāpadma, and even crores. O King, play: staking this very wealth, I will gamble with you.”

Word by Word

अयुतम्ten thousand

प्रयुतम्a hundred thousand

चand

एवindeed/just

शङ्कुम्śaṅku (a named large number)

पद्मpadma (a named large number)

तथाlikewise/also

अर्बुदम्arbuda (a named large number)

खर्वम्kharva (a named large number)

शङ्खम्śaṅkha (a named large number)

निखर्वम्nikharva (a named large number)

चand

महापद्मम्mahāpadma (a named large number)

चand

कोट्यःcrores (tens of millions)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how attachment to status and the compulsion to uphold royal honor can override prudent judgment. Even a ruler committed to dharma may be drawn into ethically dangerous choices—here, consenting to gamble—when pride and social pressure eclipse discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the dice-hall episode of the Sabha Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira responds to the challenge to play by declaring the immense wealth he possesses in escalating numerical units and offering to stake it. This sets the stage for the catastrophic progression of wagers in the gambling match.