Shloka 14
Damayantī’s Lament, Serpent-Seizure, Rescue by the Hunter, and the Curse
यथा यथा हि नृपति: पुष्करेणैव जीयते । तथा तथास्य वै द्यूते रागो भूयोडभिवर्धते
yathā yathā hi nṛpatiḥ puṣkareṇaiva jīyate | tathā tathāsya vai dyūte rāgo bhūyo ’bhivardhate ||
Dijo Bṛhadaśva: «Pues cuantas veces el rey es vencido en los dados por Puṣkara, tantas veces crece aún más su ansia de jugar. Cada derrota alimenta su apego y lo arrastra de nuevo al mismo juego que lo arruina».
बृहृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Repeated defeat does not necessarily cure a vice; in gambling, loss can intensify rāga (craving). The verse warns that attachment grows through the very cycle of compulsion, highlighting the need for self-restraint and wise avoidance of destructive habits.
Bṛhadaśva, recounting the story of Nala, explains how Nala’s repeated losses to Puṣkara at dice only increased his desire to keep playing. The line diagnoses the psychological spiral that drives Nala deeper into ruin.