Shloka 4
Akṣa-hṛdaya-dāna and Phalāśruti of the Nalopākhyāna (अक्षहृदयदानम् / नलोपाख्यान-फलश्रुतिः)
ततः पुष्करमासाद्य वीरसेनसुतो नल: । उवाच दीव्याव पुनर्बहुवित्तं मयार्जितम्,तदनन्तर वीरसेनपुत्र नलने पुष्करके पास जाकर कहा--“अब हम दोनों फिरसे जूआ खेलें। मैंने बहुत धन प्राप्त किया है। दमयन्ती तथा अन्य जो कुछ भी मेरे पास है, यह सब मेरी ओरसे दाँवपर लगाया जायगा और पुष्कर! तुम्हारी ओरसे सारा राज्य ही दाँवपर रखा जायगा। इस एक पणके साथ हम दोनोंमें फिर जूएका खेल प्रारम्भ हो, यह मेरा निश्चित विचार है। तुम्हारा भला हो, यदि ऐसा न कर सको तो हम दोनों अपने प्राणोंकी बाजी लगावें
tataḥ puṣkaram āsādya vīrasenasuto nalaḥ | uvāca: dīvyāva punar bahuvittaṃ mayārjitam ||
Then Nala, the son of Vīrasena, approached Puṣkara and said: “Let us gamble again. I have acquired great wealth.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a person may re-enter a morally dangerous situation (gambling) with a corrective intention (restoring what was lost), yet the ethical test remains self-mastery: dharma is not only about the goal (recovery of honor) but also about the means and the restraint one maintains in temptation.
After regaining capability and resources, Nala goes to his rival Puṣkara and challenges him to gamble again, declaring that he has obtained great wealth—setting the stage for a decisive rematch meant to reverse the earlier catastrophic loss.