Shloka 14

वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः

Devanagari script

ततो दशसहस्राणि निष्काणां पणम् आददे बलभद्रो ऽजयत् तानि रुक्मी द्यूतविदां वरः

Transliteration

tato daśasahasrāṇi niṣkāṇāṃ paṇam ādade balabhadro 'jayat tāni rukmī dyūtavidāṃ varaḥ

Translation

Then the stake was set at ten thousand niṣkas; Balabhadra won them. Yet Rukmī—hailed as the foremost among gamblers—continued the contest in proud confidence.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — ततो (thereupon/then; ablatival adverb)

• daśa-sahasrāṇi: ten-thousands (i.e., ten thousand)
• daśa-sahasrāṇi: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural; द्विगु-समास (numerical compound)

• niṣkāṇām: of niṣkas (gold coins)
• niṣkāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• paṇam: the stake; wager
• paṇam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• ādade: he took up; he accepted
• ādade: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘he took/accepted’

• balabhadraḥ: Balabhadra (Balarāma)
• balabhadraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• ajayat: won
• ajayat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ji (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘he won’

• tāni: those (stakes)
• tāni: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural (pronoun)

• rukmī: Rukmī
• rukmī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• dyūta-vidām: of those skilled in gambling
• dyūta-vidām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyūta (प्रातिपदिक) + vid (धातु) + kvip/ktin? → vid (प्रातिपदिक ‘knower’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural; ‘of the knowers of dice’

• varaḥ: the best; foremost
• varaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; predicate noun (apposition to rukmī)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When pride persists even after reversal, conflict becomes inevitable unless humility and truth are embraced.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: After a setback, resist doubling down from ego; accept outcomes honestly and de-escalate rather than escalate stakes.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s līlā demonstrates that apparent ‘skill’ divorced from dharma is unstable; divine order supports righteousness even through worldly contests.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Balabhadra (Balarama)
• Rukmi

FAQs

What is the significance of gambling (dyūta) in this Vishnu Purana episode?

Here dyūta functions as a narrative test of honor and restraint: the wager escalates, and pride begins to override fairness, setting the stage for conflict.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the contest between Balabhadra and Rukmī?

Parāśara presents it as a royal rivalry where outward “skill” in gambling is contrasted with the deeper consequences of ego and disputation that follow a high-stakes wager.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Even in seemingly worldly scenes, the Purana’s larger lens is dharma under the Supreme Lord’s order: pride-driven action leads to disorder, while the Lord’s associates embody the restoration of rightful balance.