Shloka 19
नलस्य पुष्करजयो द्यूते
Nala’s Victory over Puṣkara in the Dice-Game
निषधाधिपतेश्वापि दत्त्वाक्षहददयं नृप: । सूतमन्यमुपादाय ययौ स्वपुरमेव ह,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
niṣadhādhipateś cāpi dattvākṣahṛdayaṃ nṛpaḥ | sūtam anyam upādāya yayau svapuram eva ha, yudhiṣṭhira |
O Yudhiṣṭhira, even after giving the Niṣadha king (Nala) the secret of the ‘heart of dice’—the inner knowledge of play—the king (Ṛtaparṇa) took another charioteer and departed for his own city. The episode underscores an exchange of skills carried out with propriety: mastery is transmitted, obligations are repaid, and each returns to his rightful place without further deceit.
नल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical reciprocity and restraint: knowledge and assistance are exchanged, debts are repaid, and each person returns to rightful duties without prolonging manipulation—suggesting that even powerful skills (like gambling lore) should be handled within dharmic boundaries.
Nala tells Yudhiṣṭhira that Ṛtaparṇa, after imparting and/or receiving specialized knowledge (notably the ‘heart of dice’), appoints another charioteer and leaves for his own capital, marking the completion of their exchange and the closing of that phase of Nala’s journey.