Shloka 26

Dyūta-kathā-praśnaḥ — Inquiry into the Dice-Game Calamity

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति भद्रें वः प्रतिज्ञां मे निबोधत । त्रयोदश समास्तात को ममार्थो5स्ति जीवत:

Transliteration

adyaprabhṛti bhadreṃ vaḥ pratijñāṃ me nibodhata | trayodaśa samās tāta ko mamārtho 'sti jīvataḥ |

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Desde hoy en adelante, oh benditos, conoced mi voto. Hijo querido, ¿qué propósito tiene que yo viva trece años, si mi supervivencia se convierte en causa de la destrucción de mis hermanos? Si he de vivir, escuchad desde hoy esta solemne resolución mía.»

Word by Word

• {'adyaprabhṛti': 'from today onward', 'bhadram': 'good fortune

• auspiciousness', 'vaḥ': 'to you (plural)', 'pratijñā': 'vow

• solemn pledge', 'me': 'my', 'nibodhata': 'understand

• take note (imperative, plural)', 'trayodaśa': 'thirteen', 'samāḥ (samās)': 'years', 'tāta': 'dear one

• child (vocative, affectionate address)', 'kaḥ': 'what?', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'arthaḥ': 'purpose

• meaning', 'asti': 'is', 'jīvataḥ': 'of one who is living

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes ethical accountability: life and survival have value only when aligned with dharma. If one’s continued existence would enable harm—especially the ruin of one’s own kin—then one must adopt a firm vow and disciplined resolve to prevent that outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator introduces a moment of intense resolve: a speaker declares that living for a long period (thirteen years) is meaningless if it leads to the destruction of brothers, and therefore proclaims a vow to guide conduct from that day onward.