Shloka 83

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

आहूय पृथिवीपाल: सत्यधर्मपरायण: । देवने कुशलैर्जिह्नौ्वतं राज्यं वसूनि च

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca | āhūya pṛthivīpālaḥ satyadharmaparāyaṇaḥ | devane kuśalair jihnaiḥ vṛtaṁ rājyaṁ vasūni ca ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: The king, devoted to truth and dharma, summoned them. Yet in gambling he was outwitted by clever, deceitful players, and thus his kingdom and his wealth were taken away. The passage shows that even a righteous ruler may be ruined when he enters a vice where skill is joined with fraud, and that dharma demands vigilance as well as virtue.

Word by Word

• आहूय: having summoned
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ह्वा (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययीभाव-भावे), कर्तरि, having called/summoned

• पृथिवीपालः: the king (protector of the earth)
• पृथिवीपालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवीपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यधर्मपरायणः: devoted to truth and righteousness
• सत्यधर्मपरायणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यधर्मपरायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देवने: in gambling / at the game
• देवने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कुशलैः: by skilled (men)
• कुशलैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जिह्नैः: by crooked/deceitful (men)
• जिह्नैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जिह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• द्यूतम्: gambling, dice-play
• द्यूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• राज्यम्: kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वसूनि: wealth, treasures
• वसूनि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhadaśva
• pṛthivīpāla (the king)
• rājya (kingdom)
• vasu/vasūni (wealth)
• devana (gambling/dice-game)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous intent alone does not protect one in contexts dominated by vice and deception; dharma includes discernment and restraint—avoiding situations like gambling where fraud and addiction can overturn even a truthful king.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva describes a king devoted to truth and dharma who, after being drawn into a dice-game, is defeated by skilled but deceitful gamblers and consequently loses both his kingdom and his wealth.