Shloka 2
दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness
ह्ृतराज्यं नलं राजन् प्रहसन् पुष्करो<ब्रवीत् | द्यूत॑ं प्रवर्ततां भूय: प्रतिपाणो5स्ति कस्तव,राजन! राज्य हार जानेपर नलसे पुष्करने हँसते हुए कहा कि “क्या फिर जूआ आरम्भ हो? अब तुम्हारे पास दाँवपर लगानेके लिये क्या है?”
hṛtarājyaṃ nalaṃ rājan prahasan puṣkaro 'bravīt | dyūtaṃ pravartatāṃ bhūyaḥ pratipāṇo 'sti kas tava, rājan ||
Bṛhadaśva berkata: Tersenyum, Puṣkara berkata kepada Nala yang telah kehilangan kerajaannya, “Apakah permainan dadu dimulai lagi? Wahai raja, kini apa yang masih kau punya untuk dijadikan taruhan?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical degradation caused by gambling: it does not stop at material loss but pushes toward repeated risk, shame, and exploitation of the fallen. Mockery after dispossession shows how adharma thrives on another’s vulnerability.
After Nala has lost his kingdom, Puṣkara, laughing, provocatively invites him to gamble again and asks what he can possibly stake now—intensifying Nala’s humiliation and showing Puṣkara’s predatory intent.