Shloka 5
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
बाह्लीको रथमाहार्षीज्जाम्बूनदविभूषितम् । सुदक्षिणस्तु युयुजे श्वेतैः काम्बोजजै्हयै:
bāhlīko ratham āhārṣīj jāmbūnadavibhūṣitam | sudakṣiṇas tu yuyuje śvetaiḥ kāmboja-jaiḥ hayaiḥ ||
“பாஹ்லீக அரசன் ஜாம்பூநத பொன்னால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்ட ரதத்தை கொண்டு வந்தான்; சுதக்ஷிணன் அதற்கு காம்போஜ தேசத்தில் பிறந்த வெள்ளை குதிரைகளை இணைத்தான்.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public rituals and gifts are not merely devotional acts; they also function as instruments of royal legitimacy and political messaging. The verse highlights how wealth, prestige objects (a gold-adorned chariot), and elite resources (Kāmboja horses) are mobilized to support or signal alignment within a larger contest for status.
Duryodhana enumerates contributions made for the ceremonial occasion connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s consecration: the Bāhlīka king brings an ornate chariot, and Sudakṣiṇa harnesses it with white horses from Kāmboja—details that emphasize the scale and splendor of the preparations.