Mahabharata 3.56.31 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 56, Shloka 31

अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest

Devanagari script

एतावदेव विबुधा यथावृत्तमुपाह्तम्‌ मयाइशेषे प्रमाणं तु भवन्तस्त्रिदशेश्वरा:

Transliteration

etāvad eva vibudhā yathāvṛttam upāhṛtam mayā | aśeṣe pramāṇaṃ tu bhavantas tridaśeśvarāḥ ||

Translation

Nala disse: “Ó deuses sábios, isto é tudo quanto ocorreu de fato, e eu o relatei por inteiro. Ó senhores dos trinta e três, em toda esta questão vós mesmos sois a autoridade decisiva—sim, sois as testemunhas.”

Word by Word

• एतावत्: this much
• एतावत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: एतावत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एव: only/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• विबुधाः: O gods, O wise ones
• विबुधाः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विबुध
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Plural

• यथा: as/according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• वृत्तम्: the event/account
• वृत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपाहृतम्: has been presented/related
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-हृ (धातु: हृ)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

• अशेषे: in the entire/whole (matter)
• अशेषे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• प्रमाणम्: authority/witness/valid proof
• प्रमाणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• भवन्तः: you (honored ones)
• भवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• त्रिदशेश्वराः: O lords of the thirty (gods)
• त्रिदशेश्वराः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश-ईश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Plural

Speaker

नल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nala
• the gods (Vibudhas)
• Tridaśeśvaras (lords of the thirty-three gods)
• Damayantī (implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores ethical accountability: one should report events truthfully (yathāvṛttam) and recognize legitimate witnesses and authority (pramāṇa), especially when moral judgment is required.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nala concludes his statement by affirming that he has narrated the events exactly as they occurred and appeals to the gods as the final witnesses and arbiters regarding the matter connected with Damayantī.