Shloka 10
नलस्य दमयन्त्युत्सर्गः
Nala’s Abandonment of Damayantī in the Lodging Hall
तमक्षमदसम्मत्तं सुहृदां न तु कश्चन । निवारणे5भवच्छक्तो दीव्यमानमरिंदमम्,तब कलियुगसे आविष्ट होकर राजा नल हिरण्य, सुवर्ण, रथ आदि वाहन और बहुमूल्य वस्त्र दाँवपर लगाते तथा हार जाते थे। सुहृदोंमें कोई भी ऐसा नहीं था, जो द्यूतक्रीडाके मदसे उन्मत्त शत्रुदमन नलको उस समय जूआ खेलनेसे रोक सके
tam akṣamad asammattaṁ suhṛdāṁ na tu kaścana | nivāraṇe 'bhavac chakto dīvyamānam ariṁdamam ||
Bṛhadaśva said: No friend was able to restrain him—Nal, the foe-subduer—when, unable to control himself and intoxicated by the passion for gambling, he was absorbed in play. Under the sway of Kali, he kept staking and losing his wealth—gold, horses, chariots, and costly garments—while those who wished him well found themselves powerless to stop him.
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mighty can fall when self-restraint collapses: the verse highlights how the intoxication of gambling (dyūta-mada) and the influence of Kali can overpower judgment, making counsel ineffective. Ethically, it warns that unchecked vice erodes dharma, wealth, and dignity, and that prevention is hardest once obsession takes hold.
Bṛhadaśva describes Nala’s condition during the gambling episode: Nala, famed as an enemy-subduer, becomes ungovernable and absorbed in dicing. His friends, though well-intentioned, cannot stop him as he continues to stake and lose valuable possessions under Kali’s sway.