Shloka 33
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच नैव हस्वा न महती न कृष्णा नातिरोहिणी । नीलकुज्चितकेशी च तया दीव्याम्यहं त्वया,युधिष्ठिरे कहा--जो न नाटी है न लंबी, न कृष्णवर्णा है न अधिक रक्तवर्णा तथा जिसके केश नीले और घूँघराले हैं, उस द्रौपदीको दाँवपर लगाकर मैं तुम्हारे साथ जूआ खेलता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: naiva hrasvā na mahatī na kṛṣṇā nātirohiṇī | nīlakuñcitakeśī ca tayā dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “She is neither short nor tall; neither dark-complexioned nor excessively ruddy; her hair is dark-blue-black and curly. With her—Draupadī—as the stake, I will gamble with you.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral collapse: under the spell of gambling and competitive pride, Yudhiṣṭhira treats a person as a stake. It anticipates the larger dharma-question of whether anyone can be ‘owned’ or wagered, and how desire and addiction can override righteous judgment.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira describes Draupadī’s appearance and declares that he will gamble with her as the wager, escalating the stakes and precipitating the ensuing outrage and dharma-debate.