Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच सहस्रसंख्या नागा मे मत्तास्तिष्ठन्ति सौबल । हेमकक्षा: कृतापीडा: पद्मिनो हेममालिन:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sahasrasaṅkhyā nāgā me mattās tiṣṭhanti saubala | hemakakṣāḥ kṛtāpīḍāḥ padmino hemamālinaḥ ||

Translation

ଯୁଧିଷ୍ଠିର କହିଲେ—ହେ ସୌବଲ! ମୋ ପାଖରେ ସହସ୍ର ସଂଖ୍ୟକ ମତ୍ତ ହାତୀ ସଜାଗ ହୋଇ ଦାଁଡ଼ିଛନ୍ତି। ସେମାନଙ୍କର ବାନ୍ଧିବା ଦୋରି ସୁବର୍ଣ୍ଣମୟ; ମସ୍ତକରେ ଗଢ଼ା ଶିରୋଭୂଷଣ; କପୋଳ ଓ ଲଲାଟରେ ପଦ୍ମଚିହ୍ନ; ଏବଂ ଗଳାରେ ସୁନାର ମାଳା ଶୋଭା ପାଉଛି।

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सहस्रसंख्याः: numbering a thousand
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्रसंख्या
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नागाः: elephants
• नागाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मे: my / of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• मत्ताः: intoxicated, rutting
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand / remain
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सौबल: O Saubala (son of Subala)
• सौबल: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौबल
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• हेमकक्षाः: having golden girths/fastenings
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेमकक्षा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृतापीडाः: fitted with head-ornaments/caps
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतापीड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पद्मिनः: lotus-marked / bearing lotus signs
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हेममालिनः: wearing golden garlands/necklaces
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेममालिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Saubala (Śakuni)
• elephants (nāgāḥ)
• golden tethers/ropes (hemakakṣāḥ)
• head-ornaments (āpīḍāḥ)
• lotus marks (padma-cihna implied by padminaḥ)
• golden garlands/necklaces (hemamālā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the allure of royal wealth and display; in the broader dice-hall narrative it foreshadows how attachment to status and prosperity can become ethically perilous when challenged by deceit and gambling.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Śakuni (Saubala) and lists his magnificent assets—especially a thousand musth elephants richly ornamented—within the Sabha Parva setting that leads into the fateful contest of dice.