Shloka 14

Damayantī’s Lament, Serpent-Seizure, Rescue by the Hunter, and the Curse

Devanagari script

यथा यथा हि नृपति: पुष्करेणैव जीयते । तथा तथास्य वै द्यूते रागो भूयोडभिवर्धते

Transliteration

yathā yathā hi nṛpatiḥ puṣkareṇaiva jīyate | tathā tathāsya vai dyūte rāgo bhūyo ’bhivardhate ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva nói: “Hễ nhà vua thua Puṣkara trong cuộc gieo xúc xắc bao nhiêu lần, thì lòng ham mê cờ bạc của người lại càng bấy nhiêu lần tăng trưởng. Mỗi lần thất bại chỉ càng nuôi lớn sự luyến chấp, kéo người trở lại chính cuộc chơi đang hủy hoại mình.”

Word by Word

यथाas, just as

यथाso, in the same way

हिindeed, for

नृपतिःthe king

पुष्करेणby (the game of) dice

एवonly, indeed

जीयतेis defeated

तथाso, thus

तथाin that same manner

अस्यof him, his

वैindeed, surely

द्यूतेin gambling, in the dice-game

रागःpassion, attachment

भूयःmore, increasingly

अभिवर्धतेgrows, increases

Speaker

बृहृदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)

न

नृपति (the king—Nala)

प

पुष्कर (Puṣkara)

द

द्यूत (dice-game/gambling)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Repeated defeat does not necessarily cure a vice; in gambling, loss can intensify rāga (craving). The verse warns that attachment grows through the very cycle of compulsion, highlighting the need for self-restraint and wise avoidance of destructive habits.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva, recounting the story of Nala, explains how Nala’s repeated losses to Puṣkara at dice only increased his desire to keep playing. The line diagnoses the psychological spiral that drives Nala deeper into ruin.