Shloka 21
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
शतान्यनडुहां पज्च द्विजमुख्येषु भारत । न रन्तिदेवो नाभागो यौवनाश्वो मनुर्न च
śatāny anaḍuhāṃ pañca dvijamukhyeṣu bhārata | na rantidevo nābhāgo yauvanāśvo manur na ca ||
杜尤陀那说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，五百头公牛被分施给最尊贵的婆罗门。无论是兰提提婆、那婆伽、尤婆那湿婆，甚至摩奴，都不曾拥有如今日由提施提罗王所显现的那般王者富盛。”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as a public marker of righteous kingship—supporting brāhmaṇas and distributing wealth—while also revealing how such displays can provoke envy and competitive comparison, especially in Duryodhana’s gaze.
In the context of Yudhiṣṭhira’s grand royal ceremony and courtly display, lavish gifts are being distributed—here, five hundred bulls to leading brāhmaṇas. Duryodhana comments that even legendary kings did not possess prosperity like Yudhiṣṭhira’s, a remark colored by admiration mixed with jealousy.