Shloka 34
श्रुतस्ते यदि वा दृष्ट: पाण्डवेयो युधिष्ठिर: । सराष्ट्रं सुमहत् स्फीतं भ्रातृश्च त्रिदशोपमान्
śrutaste yadi vā dṛṣṭaḥ pāṇḍaveyo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | sa-rāṣṭraṃ sumahat sphītaṃ bhrātṝś ca tridaśopamān ||
“Marahil narinig mo na, o baka nakita mo pa, si Yudhiṣṭhira na anak ng mga Pāṇḍava. Sa laro ng dice, nawala sa kanya ang malawak at masaganang kaharian, pati ang kanyang mga kapatid na nagniningning na tila mga diyos.”
कड़क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse invokes Yudhiṣṭhira’s famous loss to illustrate the ethical danger of gambling: even a righteous king can be ruined, losing prosperity and family honor; therefore one should be wary of dice and the destructive chain it triggers.
A speaker warns the king by citing Yudhiṣṭhira’s well-known downfall in the dice match—he lost his flourishing realm and his godlike brothers—using this example to discourage gambling in the present situation.