Shloka 8
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच पुरं जनपदो भूमिरब्राह्मणधनै: सह । अब्राह्मणाश्व पुरुषा राजज्छिष्टं धनं मम । एतदू राजन् मम धन तेन दीव्याम्यहं त्वया,युधिष्ठिर बोले--राजन्! ब्राह्मणोंको जीविकारूपमें जो ग्रामादि दिये गये हैं, उन्हें छोड़कर शेष जो नगर, जनपद तथा भूमि मेरे अधिकारमें है तथा जो ब्राह्मणेतर मनुष्य मेरे यहाँ रहते हैं, वे सब मेरे शेष धन हैं। शकुने! मैं इसी धनको दाँवपर रखकर तुम्हारे साथ जूआ खेलता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | puraṃ janapado bhūmir abrāhmaṇadhanaiḥ saha | abrāhmaṇāś ca puruṣā rājaśiṣṭaṃ dhanaṃ mama | etad u rājann mama dhanaṃ tena dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā |
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Raja! Selain desa-desa dan harta yang telah diperuntukkan kepada para Brahmana sebagai sara hidup, maka kota, wilayah, tanah, serta rakyat bukan Brahmana yang berada di bawah pemerintahanku—itulah baki milikku. Wahai Śakuni, dengan harta yang tinggal inilah aku akan berjudi denganmu.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between royal responsibility and personal vice: a king’s ‘remaining wealth’—territory and subjects—should be protected, yet Yudhiṣṭhira treats it as stake in gambling, signaling a lapse from dharma and foreshadowing grave consequences.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira declares that after excluding what has been granted to Brahmins, his remaining assets—city, realm, land, and non-Brahmin dependents—are still his to wager, and he proposes to stake them in play against his opponent.