Shloka 25
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
वैदूर्यान् काज्चनान् दान्तान् फलैज्योतीरसै: सह | कृष्णॉल्लोहितवर्णाश्वि निर्वत्स्पामि मनोरमान्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | vaidūryān kāñcanān dāntān phalair jyotīrasaiḥ saha | kṛṣṇāllohitavarṇāś ca nirvatsyāmi manoramān |
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Porei em movimento agradáveis peças de jogo—verdes como as gemas vaidūrya, amarelas como o ouro, e outras talhadas em marfim—junto de peças negras e vermelhas, e de dados marcados por pontos brilhantes. Assim, assumindo o disfarce do brāhmaṇa chamado Kaṅka, tornar-me-ei membro da corte do nobre rei Virāṭa, pois conheço a arte dos dados e este jogo me é caro.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a dharmic person may adopt a socially humble role and conceal identity for a higher duty—protecting others and fulfilling a vow—yet must remain vigilant about personal weaknesses. Yudhiṣṭhira’s choice highlights strategic restraint: using a known skill (dice) within the ethical frame of the incognito year, while implicitly acknowledging the moral peril that gambling once brought.
At the start of the Virāṭa Parva, the Pāṇḍavas plan their final year of exile in disguise. Here Yudhiṣṭhira declares he will enter King Virāṭa’s court as the brāhmaṇa Kaṅka, serving as a courtly companion skilled in dice, moving attractive gaming pieces and dice as part of his assumed occupation.