Mahabharata 2.54: catuḥ pañcāśo'dhyāyaḥ

2.54.1

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
mattaḥ kaitavakenaiva yajjito'smi durodaram |
śakune hanta dīvyāmo glahamānāḥ sahasraśaḥ || 1 ||

Yudhishthira said,--"Thou hast won this stake of me by unfair means. But be not so proud, O Sakuni. Let us play staking thousands upon thousands. I have many beautiful jars each full of a thousand Nishkas in my treasury, inexhaustible gold, and much silver and other minerals. This, O king, is the wealth with which I will stake with thee!'"

2.54.2

ime niṣkasahasrasya kuṇḍino bharitāḥ śatam |
kośo hiraṇyamakṣayyaṃ jātarūpamanekaśaḥ |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 2 ||

2.54.3

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
ityuktaḥ śakuniḥ prāha jitamityeva taṃ nṛpam || 3 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"Thus addressed, Sakuni said unto the chief of the perpetuators of the Kuru race, the eldest of the sons of Pandu, king Yudhishthira, of glory incapable of sustaining any diminution. 'Lo, I have won!'"

2.54.4

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
ayaṃ sahasrasamito vaiyāghraḥ supravartitaḥ |
sucakropaskaraḥ śrīmānkiṅkiṇījālamaṇḍitaḥ || 4 ||

Yudhishthira said,--'This my sacred and victorious and royal car which gladdeneth the heart and hath carried us hither, which is equal unto a thousand cars, which is of symmetrical proportions and covered with tiger-skin, and furnished with excellent wheels and flag-staffs which is handsome, and decked with strings of little bells, whose clatter is even like the roar of the clouds or of the ocean, and which is drawn by eight noble steeds known all over the kingdom and which are white as the moon-beam and from whose hoofs no terrestrial creature can escape--this, O king, is my wealth with which I will stake with thee!'"

2.54.5

saṃhrādano rājaratho ya ihāsmānupāvahat |
jaitro rathavaraḥ puṇyo meghasāgaraniḥsvanaḥ || 5 ||

2.54.6

aṣṭau yaṃ kuraracchāyāḥ sadaśvā rāṣṭrasaṃmatāḥ |
vahanti naiṣāmucyeta padā bhūmimupaspṛśan |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 6 ||

2.54.7

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 7 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"Hearing these words, Sakuni ready with the dice, and adopting unfair means, said unto Yudhishthira, 'Lo, I have won!'

2.54.8

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
sahasrasaṃkhyā nāgā me mattāstiṣṭhanti saubala |
hemakakṣāḥ kṛtāpīḍāḥ padmino hemamālinaḥ || 8 ||

2.54.9

sudāntā rājavahanāḥ sarvaśabdakṣamā yudhi |
īṣādantā mahākāyāḥ sarve cāṣṭakareṇavaḥ || 9 ||

2.54.10

sarve ca purabhettāro nagameghanibhā gajāḥ |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 10 ||

2.54.11

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tamevaṃvādinaṃ pārthaṃ prahasanniva saubalaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 11 ||

2.54.12

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
śataṃ dāsīsahasrāṇi taruṇyo me prabhadrikāḥ |
kambukeyūradhāriṇyo niṣkakaṇṭhyaḥ svalaṃkṛtāḥ || 12 ||

"Yudhishthira said,--'I have a hundred thousand serving-girls, all young, and decked with golden bracelets on their wrists and upper arms, and with nishkas round their necks and other ornaments, adorned with costly garlands and attired in rich robes, daubed with the sandal paste, wearing jewels and gold, and well-skilled in the four and sixty elegant arts, especially versed in dancing and singing, and who wait upon and serve at my command the celestials, the Snataka Brahmanas, and kings. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee!'"

2.54.13

mahārhamālyābharaṇāḥ suvastrāścandanokṣitāḥ |
maṇīnhema ca bibhratyaḥ sarvā vai sūkṣmavāsasaḥ || 13 ||

2.54.14

anusevāṃ carantīmāḥ kuśalā nṛtyasāmasu |
snātakānāmamātyānāṃ rājñāṃ ca mama śāsanāt |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 14 ||

2.54.15

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 15 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--'Hearing these words, Sakuni ready with the dice, adopting unfair means, said unto Yudhishthira. 'Lo, I have won!'

2.54.16

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
etāvantyeva dāsānāṃ sahasrāṇyuta santi me |
pradakṣiṇānulomāśca prāvāravasanāḥ sadā || 16 ||

Yudhishthira said,--"I have thousands of serving-men, skilled in waiting upon guests, always attired in silken robes, endued with wisdom and intelligence, their senses under control though young, and decked with ear-rings, and who serve all guests night and day with plates and dishes in hand. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee!'"

2.54.17

prājñā medhāvino dakṣā yuvāno mṛṣṭakuṇḍalāḥ |
pātrīhastā divārātramatithīnbhojayantyuta |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 17 ||

2.54.18

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 18 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"Hearing these words, Sakuni, ready with the dice, adopting unfair means said unto Yudhishthira, 'Lo, I have won!'

2.54.19

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
rathāstāvanta eveme hemabhāṇḍāḥ patākinaḥ |
hayairvinītaiḥ saṃpannā rathibhiścitrayodhibhiḥ || 19 ||

Yudhishthira said,--'I have as many cars as elephants, all furnished with golden poles and flag-staffs and well-trained horses and warriors that fight wonderfully and each of whom receiveth a thousand coins as his monthly pay whether he fighteth or not. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee!'"

2.54.20

ekaiko yatra labhate sahasraparamāṃ bhṛtim |
yudhyato'yudhyato vāpi vetanaṃ māsakālikam |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 20 ||

2.54.21

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
ityevamukte pārthena kṛtavairo durātmavān |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 21 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"When these words had been spoken, the wretch Sakuni, pledged to enmity, said unto Yudhishthira, 'Lo, I have won it.'

2.54.22

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
aśvāṃstittirikalmāṣāngāndharvānhemamālinaḥ |
dadau citrarathastuṣṭo yāṃstāngāṇḍīvadhanvane |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 22 ||

Yudhishthira said.--'The steeds of the Tittiri, Kalmasha, and Gandharva breeds, decked with ornaments, which Chitraratha having been vanquished in battle and subdued cheerfully gave unto Arjuna, the wielder of the Gandiva. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee."

2.54.23

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 23 ||

Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing this, Sakuni, ready at dice, adopting unfair means, said unto Yudhishthira: 'Lo, I have won!'

2.54.24

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
rathānāṃ śakaṭānāṃ ca hayānāṃ cāyutāni me |
yuktānāmeva tiṣṭhanti vāhairuccāvacairvṛtāḥ || 24 ||

Yudhishthira said,--'I have ten thousand cars and vehicles unto which are yoked draught animals of the foremost breed. And I have also sixty thousand warriors picked from each order by thousands, who are all brave and endued with prowess like heroes, who drink milk and eat good rice, and all of whom have broad chests. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee.'

2.54.25

evaṃ varṇasya varṇasya samuccīya sahasraśaḥ |
kṣīraṃ pibantastiṣṭhanti bhuñjānāḥ śālitaṇḍulān || 25 ||

2.54.26

ṣaṣṭistāni sahasrāṇi sarve pṛthulavakṣasaḥ |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 26 ||

2.54.27

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 27 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"Hearing this, Sakuni ready at dice, adopting unfair means said unto Yudhishthira, 'Lo, I have won!'

2.54.28

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
tāmralohaiḥ parivṛtā nidhayo me catuḥśatāḥ |
pañcadrauṇika ekaikaḥ suvarṇasyāhatasya vai |
etadrājandhanaṃ mahyaṃ tena dīvyāmyahaṃ tvayā || 28 ||

Yudhishthira said,--'I have four hundred Nidis (jewels of great value) encased in sheets of copper and iron. Each one of them is equal to five draunikas of the costliest and purest leaf gold of the Jatarupa kind. With this wealth, O king, I will stake with thee.'"

2.54.29

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
etacchrutvā vyavasito nikṛtiṃ samupāśritaḥ |
jitamityeva śakuniryudhiṣṭhiramabhāṣata || 29 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"Hearing this, Sakuni ready at dice, adopting foul means, said unto Yudhishthira, 'Lo, I have won it!'"