Shloka 18
नलस्य पुष्करजयो द्यूते
Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game
सचतां प्रतिजग्राह विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा | गृहीत्वा चाश्वह्नदयं राजन् भाज़ासुरिनृप:,युधिष्ठिर! ऋतुपर्णने भी शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार उनसे अश्वविद्या ग्रहण की। अश्वोंका रहस्य ग्रहण करके और निषधनरेश नलको पुनः द्यूतविद्याका रहस्य समझाकर दूसरा सारथि साथ ले राजा ऋतुपर्ण अपने नगरको चले गये
sa cātāṃ pratijagrāha vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā | gṛhītvā cāśvahṛdayaṃ rājan bhāṣāsuri-nṛpaḥ, yudhiṣṭhira! ||
And he duly accepted it, performing the act in the manner prescribed by rule. Having received the secret ‘Heart of the Horse’—the true knowledge of horses—O king Yudhiṣṭhira, the ruler Ṛtuparṇa in turn instructed Niṣadha’s king Nala in the secret of dice-play, and then, taking another charioteer with him, departed for his own city. The episode underscores reciprocity governed by proper conduct: knowledge is exchanged not by coercion but through agreed, orderly procedure, and skill is shown as morally neutral—its ethical weight depends on how it is used.
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge and power should be exchanged and used within dharma: the verse highlights orderly, rule-governed conduct (vidhi) and reciprocal obligation. Skills like horse-lore or dice-lore are ethically neutral; their moral value depends on intention and application.
Ṛtuparṇa receives from Nala the secret of horse-knowledge (aśvahṛdaya/aśva-vidyā). In return he teaches Nala the secret of dice-play (dūta-vidyā). After arranging another charioteer, Ṛtuparṇa departs for his own city.