Shloka 8
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
मत्स्यस्त्वक्षान् हेमनद्धानेकलव्य उपानहौ । आव्न्त्यस्त्वभिषेकार्थमापो बहुविधास्तथा
duryodhana uvāca | matsyas tv akṣān hemanaddhān ekalavya upānahau | āvantyas tv abhiṣekārtham āpo bahuvidhās tathā ||
杜尤陀那说道：“摩蹉国王带来了以黄金缚饰的骰子。埃迦罗婆耶把鞋履置于我足边。阿槃提国王又为灌顶礼汇集了多种净水。”在叙事中，这些献礼乃公开的效忠与尊荣之符，显示王权如何借由贡赠与仪式性的扶持而凝聚——一场充满声望、竞争与政治屈从、并带着伦理张力的盛大展示。
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sovereignty is reinforced through ritual and gifts: public offerings become signals of loyalty and status. Ethically, it invites reflection on how power can be legitimized by spectacle and how symbols (like dice) can foreshadow moral risk when pride and rivalry dominate.
Duryodhana enumerates items presented by various rulers—gold-adorned dice from Matsya, footwear from Ekalavya, and diverse consecration waters from Avanti—showing a ceremonial accumulation of support and honor around a royal event.