Shloka 25
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
ततः षडन्यान् पुरुषानक्षै: काउ्चनराजतै: । अपश्यद् दीव्यमानान् वै लोभहर्षान्वितांस्तथा
tataḥ ṣaḍ anyān puruṣān akṣaiḥ kāñcana-rājataiḥ | apaśyad dīvyamānān vai lobha-harṣānvitāṃs tathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Alors Vipula vit six autres hommes, jouant aux dés avec des dés faits d’or et d’argent. Ils étaient tout entiers saisis par la cupidité et l’ivresse de la joie, et eux aussi proféraient le même serment que le couple précédent. Fixant leur regard sur Vipula, ils lui adressèrent la parole.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gambling as a moral snare: the gamblers are driven by lobha (greed) and harṣa (intoxicating excitement). In dharma-literature, such states cloud judgment and make one prone to rash vows and unethical acts, so the implied teaching is vigilance and self-restraint when confronted by alluring but destabilizing pleasures.
Vipula encounters another group—six men—engaged in dice-play with luxurious (gold and silver) dice. Like the earlier couple, they are making a certain oath and then address Vipula directly, setting up the next exchange in which Vipula is tested or instructed.