Shloka 20
Kāmyake Arjuna-viyogaḥ — The Pandavas’ despondency in Kāmyaka during Arjuna’s absence
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो ह्ृष्टमना राजा बृहदश्चमुवाच ह । भगवजन्नक्षहृदयं ज्ञातुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर राजा युधिष्ठिरने प्रसन्नचित्त हो बृहदश्वसे कहा--'भगवन्! मैं द्यूतविद्याके रहस्यको यथार्थरूपसे जानना चाहता हूँ"
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato hṛṣṭamanā rājā bṛhadaśvam uvāca ha | bhagavan akṣahṛdayaṃ jñātum icchāmi tattvataḥ |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Entonces el rey Yudhiṣṭhira, con el ánimo regocijado, se dirigió a Bṛhadaśva: «Venerable señor, deseo comprender en verdad el secreto interior, el mismo corazón, de la ciencia de los dados.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gambling (dyūta) as a subject requiring discernment: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the ‘heart’ of dice-knowledge, implying that understanding the mechanics and psychology of play is ethically significant because it can lead to ruin when unchecked.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, Yudhiṣṭhira—now in the forest—approaches Bṛhadaśva and requests a true explanation of the secret of dice (akṣahṛdaya), setting up Bṛhadaśva’s instruction and the ensuing didactic episode.