Shloka 5
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
बाह्लीको रथमाहार्षीज्जाम्बूनदविभूषितम् । सुदक्षिणस्तु युयुजे श्वेतैः काम्बोजजै्हयै:
bāhlīko ratham āhārṣīj jāmbūnadavibhūṣitam | sudakṣiṇas tu yuyuje śvetaiḥ kāmboja-jaiḥ hayaiḥ ||
Dijo Duryodhana: «El rey de Bāhlīka trajo un carro adornado con oro de Jāmbūnada; y Sudakṣiṇa unció a ese carro caballos blancos criados en la tierra de Kāmboja.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public rituals and gifts are not merely devotional acts; they also function as instruments of royal legitimacy and political messaging. The verse highlights how wealth, prestige objects (a gold-adorned chariot), and elite resources (Kāmboja horses) are mobilized to support or signal alignment within a larger contest for status.
Duryodhana enumerates contributions made for the ceremonial occasion connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s consecration: the Bāhlīka king brings an ornate chariot, and Sudakṣiṇa harnesses it with white horses from Kāmboja—details that emphasize the scale and splendor of the preparations.