Shloka 12

वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः

Devanagari script

तथेति तान् आह नृपान् रुक्मी बलसमन्वितः सभायां सह रामेण चक्रे द्यूतं च वै तदा

Transliteration

tatheti tān āha nṛpān rukmī balasamanvitaḥ sabhāyāṃ saha rāmeṇa cakre dyūtaṃ ca vai tadā

Translation

ରୁକ୍ମୀ ସେହି ରାଜାମାନଙ୍କୁ ‘ତଥାସ୍ତୁ’ ବୋଲି କହି, ନିଜ ବଳରେ ସମର୍ଥ ହୋଇ ସଭାରେ ରାମ (ବଳରାମ) ସହିତ ସେତେବେଳେ ଦ୍ୟୁତକ୍ରୀଡା ଆରମ୍ଭ କଲା।

Word by Word

• tathā: so; thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — manner/assent particle

• iti: thus (saying)
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — इति-उक्तिवाचक (quotative particle)

• tān: them
• tān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural (pronoun)

• āha: said
• āha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘he said’

• nṛpān: kings
• nṛpān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural

• rukmī: Rukmī
• rukmī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rukmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• bala-samanvitaḥ: endowed with strength
• bala-samanvitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (सम्+अन्वि/अनु+इ धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘endowed with’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषण (of rukmī)

• sabhāyām: in the assembly hall
• sabhāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — सहार्थक (preposition-like indeclinable ‘with’)

• rāmeṇa: with Rāma (Balarāma)
• rāmeṇa: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• cakre: he arranged; he engaged in
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘he did/made’

• dyūtam: a game of dice
• dyūtam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय (conjunction)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण (emphatic particle)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Public choices made in pride—especially in assemblies—bind leaders to consequences and can ignite wider conflict.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When decisions are made under peer pressure, pause and set ethical boundaries before agreeing to contests or deals.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s līlā operates through human agency; even boastful resolves unfold within the divine governance of outcomes.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Rukmī
• Balarāma (Rāma)
• Kings (nṛpāḥ)
• Royal assembly (sabhā)

FAQs

What is the significance of the dice game (dyūta) in this Vishnu Purana episode?

In this verse, dyūta is presented as a public, courtly contest—an arena where pride, honor, and claims to royal superiority are tested before other kings.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the action in the assembly hall?

Parāśara narrates it as a deliberate, formal arrangement in the sabhā: Rukmī openly agrees and then initiates the match with Balarāma in front of witnesses.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in the line, the narrative belongs to Vishnu’s manifestation-cycle: Balarāma’s presence in the royal hall functions as divine regulation of kingship, curbing hubris and restoring dharmic order.