Shloka 33
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच नैव हस्वा न महती न कृष्णा नातिरोहिणी । नीलकुज्चितकेशी च तया दीव्याम्यहं त्वया
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: naiva hrasvā na mahatī na kṛṣṇā nātirohiṇī | nīlakuñcitakeśī ca tayā dīvyāmy ahaṃ tvayā ||
Sabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Hindi siya pandak ni matangkad; hindi maitim ni labis na mapula; ang buhok niya’y itim na tila bughaw at kulot. Siya—si Draupadī—ang aking itataya, at makikipagsugal ako sa iyo.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral collapse: under the spell of gambling and competitive pride, Yudhiṣṭhira treats a person as a stake. It anticipates the larger dharma-question of whether anyone can be ‘owned’ or wagered, and how desire and addiction can override righteous judgment.
During the dice match in the royal assembly, Yudhiṣṭhira describes Draupadī’s appearance and declares that he will gamble with her as the wager, escalating the stakes and precipitating the ensuing outrage and dharma-debate.