Shloka 14

Damayantī’s Lament, Serpent-Seizure, Rescue by the Hunter, and the Curse

Devanagari script

यथा यथा हि नृपति: पुष्करेणैव जीयते । तथा तथास्य वै द्यूते रागो भूयोडभिवर्धते

Transliteration

yathā yathā hi nṛpatiḥ puṣkareṇaiva jīyate | tathā tathāsya vai dyūte rāgo bhūyo ’bhivardhate ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “For, as often as the king is defeated at dice with Puṣkara, so often does his craving for gambling grow all the more. Each loss only feeds his attachment, drawing him back again into the very play that ruins him.”

Word by Word

यथाas, just as

यथाso, in the same way

हिindeed, for

नृपतिःthe king

पुष्करेणby (the game of) dice

एवonly, indeed

जीयतेis defeated

तथाso, thus

तथाin that same manner

अस्यof him, his

वैindeed, surely

द्यूतेin gambling, in the dice-game

रागःpassion, attachment

भूयःmore, increasingly

अभिवर्धतेgrows, increases

Speaker

बृहृदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)

न

नृपति (the king—Nala)

प

पुष्कर (Puṣkara)

द

द्यूत (dice-game/gambling)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes