Shloka 13
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
भवतो द्यूतदोषेण सर्वे वयमुपप्लुता: । अहीनपौरुषा बाला बलिभिबलवत्तरा:,“आपके जूएके दोषसे हमलोग पुरुषार्थयुक्त होकर भी दीन बन गये हैं और वे मूर्ख दुर्योधन आदि भेंटमें मिले हुए हमारे धनसे सम्पन्न हो इस समय अधिक बलशाली बन गये हैं
bhavato dyūtadoṣeṇa sarve vayam upaplutāḥ | ahīnapauruṣā bālā balibhir balavattarāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Because of your fault in gambling, all of us have been overwhelmed and brought low. Though our manly strength has not truly failed, we have become as helpless as children; while those powerful men, enriched by the wealth won from us, have now grown even stronger.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and political ruin caused by the vice of gambling: a single lapse in judgment can overwhelm even the capable, while empowering adversaries through unjustly gained wealth and advantage.
Vaiśampāyana explains that due to the gambling disaster, the speaker’s side has been plunged into helplessness despite retaining inner valor, whereas the opposing party has become stronger by acquiring their wealth through the dice-game.