Sukta 34

Mantra 1

प्रावेपा मा बृहतो मादयन्ति प्रवातेजा इरिणे वर्वृतानाः । सोमस्येव मौजवतस्य भक्षो विभीदको जागृविर्मह्यमच्छान् ॥

The great tremors intoxicate me—born of restless winds, rolling on the barren ground. Like the draught of Soma from Mujavat, the dice has come to me, wakeful and fear-bringing, to seize my being.

Mantra 2

न मा मिमेथ न जिहीळ एषा शिवा सखिभ्य उत मह्यमासीत् । अक्षस्याहमेकपरस्य हेतोरनुव्रतामप जायामरोधम् ॥

She did not pity me, nor did she hold back—she who was once kind to my friends and even to me. For the cause of the dice, that one sole master, I shut out my faithful wife, obedient to the right law.

Mantra 3

द्वेष्टि श्वश्रूरप जाया रुणद्धि न नाथितो विन्दते मर्डितारम् । अश्वस्येव जरतो वस्न्यस्य नाहं विन्दामि कितवस्य भोगम् ॥

The mother-in-law hates; the wife drives me away and shuts me out; the one who seeks refuge finds no helper. Like an old horse offered for sale, I find no enjoyment—only the gambler’s hollow share.

Mantra 4

अन्ये जायां परि मृशन्त्यस्य यस्यागृधद्वेदने वाज्यक्षः । पिता माता भ्रातर एनमाहुर्न जानीमो नयता बद्धमेतम् ॥

Others touch and take his wife about him—his, whom the eager dice has seized for the winning. Father, mother, brothers say of him: ‘We do not know him; lead him away, bound.’

Mantra 5

यदादीध्ये न दविषाण्येभिः परायद्भ्योऽव हीये सखिभ्यः । न्युप्ताश्च बभ्रवो वाचमक्रतँ एमीदेषां निष्कृतं जारिणीव ॥

When I burn with desire and cannot win by these, I fall away from friends who depart. Cast down, the brown ones have made their speech; I go seeking their release, like a woman driven out, searching a way back.

Mantra 6

सभामेति कितवः पृच्छमानो जेष्यामीति तन्वा शूशुजानः । अक्षासो अस्य वि तिरन्ति कामं प्रतिदीव्ने दधत आ कृतानि ॥

He goes to the assembly, the gambler, questioning within himself, “Shall I win?”—his whole being feverishly straining. But the dice scatter his desire in many directions; again and again they fasten on him the deeds already done (the past actions returning as compulsion).

Mantra 7

अक्षास इदङ्कुशिनो नितोदिनो निकृत्वानस्तपनास्तापयिष्णवः । कुमारदेष्णा जयतः पुनर्हणो मध्वा सम्पृक्ताः कितवस्य बर्हणा ॥

The dice indeed are goading-hooks and piercers; they cut down and burn, tormenting. They win again and again, taking even the boy’s portion; mingled with a sweet lure, they become the gambler’s crushing force.

Mantra 8

त्रिपञ्चाशः क्रीळति व्रात एषां देव इव सविता सत्यधर्मा । उग्रस्य चिन्मन्यवे ना नमन्ते राजा चिदेभ्यो नम इत्कृणोति ॥

Their troop of fifty-three plays, like a god—like Savitṛ firm in true law. They do not bow even to a fierce man’s wrath; even a king makes obeisance to them.

Mantra 9

नीचा वर्तन्त उपरि स्फुरन्त्यहस्तासो हस्तवन्तं सहन्ते । दिव्या अङ्गारा इरिणे न्युप्ताः शीताः सन्तो हृदयं निर्दहन्ति ॥

They roll low and then leap high; the handless overpower the man with hands. Like heavenly coals buried in a barren ground, cold as they seem, they burn the heart away.

Mantra 10

जाया तप्यते कितवस्य हीना माता पुत्रस्य चरतः क्व स्वित् । ऋणावा बिभ्यद्धनमिच्छमानोऽन्येषामस्तमुप नक्तमेति ॥

The wife, left behind, burns with grief; the mother wonders, “Where is my wandering son?” In debt and fear, craving wealth, he goes by night to the homes of others—seeking support, losing his own truth.

Mantra 11

स्त्रियं दृष्ट्वाय कितवं ततापान्येषां जायां सुकृतं च योनिम् । पूर्वाह्णे अश्वान्युयुजे हि बभ्रून्त्सो अग्नेरन्ते वृषलः पपाद ॥

Seeing a woman, the gambler is scorched—seeing another man’s wife and a well-founded home. In the forenoon he yoked his brown horses; but at the end he collapses like a degraded man at the edge of the fire—spent and fallen.

Mantra 12

यो वः सेनानीर्महतो गणस्य राजा व्रातस्य प्रथमो बभूव । तस्मै कृणोमि न धना रुणध्मि दशाहं प्राचीस्तदृतं वदामि ॥

He who is your leader of the great troop, the king and first of the band—to him I yield; I do not hold back the winnings. For ten (days/turns) I have gone eastward: this is the truth-order I declare.

Mantra 13

अक्षैर्मा दीव्यः कृषिमित्कृषस्व वित्ते रमस्व बहु मन्यमानः । तत्र गावः कितव तत्र जाया तन्मे वि चष्टे सवितायमर्यः ॥

Do not play with the dice; cultivate the field—do your true work. Delight in what is rightly gained, thinking it ample. There are the cows, O gambler; there the wife: thus Savitṛ, the noble one, reveals it to me.

Mantra 14

मित्रं कृणुध्वं खलु मृळता नो मा नो घोरेण चरताभि धृष्णु । नि वो नु मन्युर्विशतामरातिरन्यो बभ्रूणां प्रसितौ न्वस्तु ॥

Make friendship—truly—be kind to us; do not move against us with your terrible force. Let your wrath now enter into restraint; let misfortune be elsewhere, in the snare of the brown ones (the dice).