Shloka 2

सभा-पर्व, अध्याय ६१ — द्रौपदी-प्रश्नः, सभाधर्मः, सत्यवचन-नियमः

Devanagari script

सन्ति निष्कसहस्रस्थ भाण्डिन्यो भरिता: शुभा: । कोशो हिरण्यमक्षय्यं जातरूपमनेकश: । एतदू राजन्‌ मम धन तेन दीव्याम्यहं त्वया

Transliteration

santi niṣka-sahasra-sthā bhāṇḍinyo bharitāḥ śubhāḥ | kośo hiraṇyam akṣayyaṁ jātarūpam anekaśaḥ | etad u rājan mama dhana tena dīvyāmy ahaṁ tvayā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Ada peti-peti bertuah yang dipenuhi ribuan perhiasan emas, dan perbendaharaan emas yang tidak susut—serta pelbagai jenis emas tulen. Itulah, wahai raja, hartaku; dengan harta itu aku akan bermain dadu denganmu.”

Word by Word

सन्तिare/exist

निष्कसहस्रस्थाःcontaining a thousand niṣkas (gold pieces)

भाण्डिन्यःcaskets/boxes (containers)

भरिताःfilled

शुभाःauspicious/splendid

कोशःtreasury/store

हिरण्यम्gold

अक्षय्यम्inexhaustible

जातरूपम्refined gold (lit. ‘having taken form’)

अनेकशःin many ways / in abundance

एतत्this

उindeed/and (emphatic particle)

राजन्O king

ममmy/of me

धनम्wealth

तेनwith that/by that

दीव्यामिI play (at dice)/I gamble

अहम्I

त्वयाwith you/against you

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

rājan (the king—addressed opponent in the dice game, i.e., Duryodhana in context)

niṣka (gold ornaments/coins)

bhāṇḍinyaḥ (treasure chests)

kośa (treasury)

hiraṇya (gold)

jātarūpa (refined gold)

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 how attachment to wealth and confidence in material abundance can fuel ethically perilous choices—here, staking riches in gambling. In the broader dharma context, it foreshadows how even a righteous king can be drawn into adharma through social pressure, pride, and the lure of contest.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the dice-hall episode of the Sabha Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira declares the extent of his wealth—chests of gold ornaments and an ‘inexhaustible’ treasury—and states that he will gamble with the king. This sets the stage for escalating wagers and the ensuing catastrophe.