Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यथेच्छन्ति तथैवास्तु प्रत्यागच्छन्तु पाण्डवा: । पुनर्द्यूतं च कुर्वन्तु मामका: पाण्डवै: सह,“ये सब जैसा चाहते हैं, वैसा ही हो। पाण्डव लौट आयें और मेरे पुत्र उनके साथ फिर जूआ खेलें”

Transliteration

yathecchanti tathaivāstu pratyāgacchantu pāṇḍavāḥ | punardyūtaṃ ca kurvantu māmakāḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||

Translation

จงเป็นไปตามที่พวกเขาปรารถนาเถิด ให้เหล่าปาณฑพกลับมา และให้บุตรของเราทั้งหลายเล่นสกากับเหล่าปาณฑพอีกครั้ง

Word by Word

यथाas, in whatever manner

इच्छन्तिthey desire

तथाso, thus

एवindeed, just

अस्तुlet it be

प्रत्यागच्छन्तुlet (them) return

पाण्डवाःthe Pandavas

पुनःagain

द्यूतम्gambling, dice-play

चand

कुर्वन्तुlet (them) do, let (them) make

मामकाःmy people (my sons/kinsmen)

पाण्डवैःwith the Pandavas

सहtogether with

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍavas

māmakāḥ (Kauravas / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons)

dyūta (dice-game)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how apparent consent or accommodation can mask deeper wrongdoing: inviting the Pāṇḍavas back to gamble again normalizes an unethical practice and enables further exploitation. It warns that rulers and elders who permit unjust games of power become complicit in adharma and in the chain of consequences that follows.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the first disastrous dice match, a decision is voiced (reported by Vaiśampāyana) that the Pāṇḍavas should be called back and that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side should play dice with them again. This sets the stage for the second gambling match, intensifying the conflict and pushing events toward exile and eventual war.