Shloka 12
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच श्यामो युवा लोहिताक्ष: सिंहस्कन्धो महाभुज: । नकुलो ग्लह एवैको विद्धयेतन्मम तद्धनम्,युधिष्ठिर बोले--श्यामवर्ण, तरुण, लाल नेत्रों और सिंहके समान कंधोंवाले महाबाहु नकुलको ही इस समय मैं दाँवपर रखता हूँ, इन्हींको मेरे दाँवका धन समझो
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca śyāmo yuvā lohitākṣaḥ siṃhaskandho mahābhujaḥ | nakulo glaha evaiko viddhy etan mama tad dhanam ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Nakula—de tez oscura, joven, de ojos rojizos, de hombros anchos como los de un león y de brazos poderosos—él solo es la apuesta de este lance. Sabed que él es la riqueza que pongo en juego».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that gambling can trigger: even a dharma-minded king, under the grip of the wager, begins to treat persons as property. It implicitly warns that addiction and misplaced honor can override discernment and duty toward family.
During the Kaurava-arranged dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira declares that he is staking Nakula. He identifies Nakula with vivid physical epithets and presents him as the ‘wealth’ being put up in the game.