Shloka 48
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
त्यजेत सर्वा पृथिवीं समृद्धां युधिष्ठटिरो धर्ममथो न जह्यात् उक्त जितो5स्मीति च पाण्डवेन तस्मान्न शक््नोमि विवेक्तुमेतत्
tyajet sarvāṃ pṛthivīṃ samṛddhāṃ yudhiṣṭhiro dharmam atho na jahyāt | uktaṃ jito ’smīti ca pāṇḍavena tasmān na śaknomi vivektum etat ||
Bhishma berkata: “Aku percaya Dharmaraja Yudhishthira sanggup melepaskan seluruh bumi yang makmur ini, namun dia tidak akan meninggalkan dharma. Dan kerana putera Pāṇḍu itu sendiri telah menyatakan, ‘Aku telah dimenangi/dikalahkan,’ maka aku tidak mampu mengadili perkara ini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights Yudhiṣṭhira’s defining trait: unwavering commitment to dharma. Even if he could renounce worldly sovereignty, he would not renounce righteousness. Yet Bhīṣma also points to a moral-legal constraint: because Yudhiṣṭhira himself declared ‘I am won,’ Bhīṣma refrains from giving a decisive ruling, showing how spoken commitments can bind ethical deliberation in royal assemblies.
In the aftermath of the dice-game stakes, a dispute arises about what can be claimed and what is validly lost. Bhīṣma is asked to judge, but he notes that Yudhiṣṭhira—known for dharma—has already stated that he has been ‘won/defeated.’ Because of that explicit declaration, Bhīṣma says he cannot clearly decide the issue.