Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यदि निष्कसहस्त्रेण यच्चान्यत्‌ सारवद्‌ धनम्‌ । सायम्प्रातरदेविष्यदपि संवत्सरान्‌ बहून्‌ू,यदि वे प्रतिदिन शाम-सबेरे एक सहसख्र स्वर्ण-मुद्राओंसे जूआ खेलते तथा जो दूसरे बहुमूल्य धन थे, उनको--सोने, चाँदी, वस्त्र, सवारी, रथ, बकरी, भेड़, घोड़े और खच्चरों आदिके समूहको बहुत वर्षोतक भी दाँवपर लगाते रहते, तो भी हमारा राज्य-वैभव कभी क्षीण नहीं होता

Transliteration

yadi niṣkasahastreṇa yac cānyat sāravad dhanam | sāyaṃprātar adevīṣyad api saṃvatsarān bahūn ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「たとえ朝夕ごとに賭博でニシュカ（黄金貨）千枚を賭け、さらに他の実りある貴重な財を幾年にもわたり賭け続けたとしても、我らの王国の王威と繁栄は尽きることがない。」

Word by Word

यदिif

निष्कसहस्रेणwith a thousand niṣkas (gold coins)

यत्whatever (that)

चand

अन्यत्other

सारवत्valuable, substantial

धनम्wealth

सायम्in the evening

प्रातर्in the morning

देविष्यत्would gamble / would play (at dice)

अपिeven, also

संवत्सरान्years

बहून्many

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

niṣka (gold coin/wealth unit)

wealth/treasure (dhanam)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the immense scale of royal resources and the idea that prosperity, when firmly established, can appear inexhaustible even under continual outflow—while implicitly recalling gambling as a morally risky practice that can consume wealth if unchecked.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes (in a hyperbolic, illustrative way) how enormous wealth could be staked repeatedly in gambling—morning and evening for many years—yet the kingdom’s splendor would still not diminish, emphasizing the magnitude of the treasury and state power being discussed.