Shloka 12
यथेच्छन्ति तथैवास्तु प्रत्यागच्छन्तु पाण्डवा: । पुनर्द्यूतं च कुर्वन्तु मामका: पाण्डवै: सह,“ये सब जैसा चाहते हैं, वैसा ही हो। पाण्डव लौट आयें और मेरे पुत्र उनके साथ फिर जूआ खेलें”
yathecchanti tathaivāstu pratyāgacchantu pāṇḍavāḥ | punardyūtaṃ ca kurvantu māmakāḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let it be exactly as they wish. Let the Pāṇḍavas return, and let my sons play dice again with the Pāṇḍavas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how apparent consent or accommodation can mask deeper wrongdoing: inviting the Pāṇḍavas back to gamble again normalizes an unethical practice and enables further exploitation. It warns that rulers and elders who permit unjust games of power become complicit in adharma and in the chain of consequences that follows.
In the aftermath of the first disastrous dice match, a decision is voiced (reported by Vaiśampāyana) that the Pāṇḍavas should be called back and that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side should play dice with them again. This sets the stage for the second gambling match, intensifying the conflict and pushing events toward exile and eventual war.