Shloka 32
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
स तथाक्षेषु कुशलो निश्चितो गतचेतन: । चरिष्यसि महाराज वनेषु वसती: पुनः
sa tathākṣeṣu kuśalo niścito gatacetanaḥ | cariṣyasi mahārāja vaneṣu vasatīḥ punaḥ
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Vì thế, tuy ngài vốn thạo xúc xắc, nay ý chí đã vững như định, tâm không còn bị cơn mê ấy lay chuyển. Do đó, hỡi bậc Đại vương, ngài sẽ lại sống trong rừng, cư ngụ nơi ấy trong cảnh lưu đày.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has talent in a harmful pursuit (here, gambling), dharma requires steadiness of mind and acceptance of consequences; true strength is shown in resolve and self-restraint rather than in skill at vice.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana describes the king’s state after the dice episode: despite being adept at dice, he is now firm and mentally detached, and he is destined to return to forest-dwelling—signaling the continuation of exile in the Vana Parva storyline.