यत्समर्थं पाण्डवनां तत्करिष्यामि मा शुचः। सत्यं ते प्रतिजानामि राज्ञां राज्ञी भविष्यसि
Whatever is possible for the Pandavas, I will do; do not grieve. I promise you truly: you will become queen among queens.
पतेद्द्यौर्हिमवाञ्शीर्येत्पृथिवी शकली भवेत्। शुष्येत्तोयनिधिः कृष्णे न मे मोघं वचो भवेत्
If the sky were to fall, the Himalaya to shatter, the earth to break apart, or the ocean to dry up, O Krishna, still my word would not be in vain.
तच्छ्रुत्वा द्रौपदी वाक्यं प्रतिवाक्यमथाच्युतात्। साचीकृतमवैक्षत्सा पाञ्चाली मध्यमं पतिम्
Hearing these words from Achyuta, Draupadi then looked at her middle husband, Panchali gazed at him intently.
आबभाषे महाराज द्रौपदीमर्जुनस्तदा। मा रोदीः शुभताम्राक्षि यदाह मधुसूदनः। तथा तद्भविता देवि नान्यथा वरवर्णिनि
Then Arjuna spoke to Draupadi, O great king: Do not weep, O beautiful, red-eyed one; whatever Madhusudana has said, so it will be, O goddess, and not otherwise, O fair-skinned lady.
अहं द्रोणं हनिष्यामि शिखण्डी तु पितामहम्। दुर्योधनं भीमसेनः कर्णं हन्ता धनिजयः
I will slay Drona; Shikhandi will kill the grandsire; Bhimasena will slay Duryodhana; Dhananjaya will kill Karna.
रामकृष्णौ व्यपाश्रित्य अजेयाः स्म रणए स्वसः। अपि वृत्रहणा युद्धे किं पुनर्धृतराष्ट्रजैः
With Rama and Krishna as our support, we are invincible in battle, sister; even the slayer of Vritra could not defeat us, let alone the sons of Dhritarashtra.
इत्युक्तेऽभिमुखा वीरा वासुदेवमुपास्थितः। तेषां मध्ये महाबाहुः केशवो वाक्यमब्रवीत्
When this was said, the heroes turned toward Vasudeva and gathered around him; among them, mighty-armed Kesava spoke these words.
नैतत्कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्तो भवान्स्याद्वसुधाधिप। यद्यहं द्वारकायां स्यां राजन्सन्निहितः पुरा
You would not have faced this hardship nor lost your kingdom, if I had been present in Dwaraka at that time, O king.
आगच्छेयमहं द्यूतमनाहूतोऽपि कौरवैः। आम्बिकेयेन दुर्धर्ष राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन च। वारयेयमहं द्यूतं बहून्दोपान्प्रदर्शयन्
I would have come to the gambling match, even uninvited by the Kauravas, by Ambika's son, by the fierce king Duryodhana; I would have stopped the game, showing many reasons.
भीष्मद्रोणौ समानाय्य कृपं बाह्लीकमेव च। वैचित्रवीर्यं राजानमलं द्यूतेन कौरव
I would have gathered Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, and Bahlika, and the king Vaicitravirya; Kaurava, you should not have played dice.
पुत्राणां तव राजेन्द्र त्वन्निमित्तमिति प्रभो। तत्राचक्षमहं दोषान्यैर्भवान्व्यतिरोपितः
O king, regarding your sons, O ruler, I declare that because of you, faults have been attributed to you by others.
वीरसेनसुतो यैस्तु राज्यात्प्रभ्रंशितः पुरा। अतर्कितविनाशश्च देवनेन विशांपते
It was by these that the son of Vīrasena was formerly deprived of his kingdom, O lord of men, and destroyed unexpectedly by the gods.
सातत्यं च प्रसङ्गस्य वर्णयेयं यथातथम्
I shall narrate the entire course of the matter, just as it happened.
स्त्रियोऽक्षा मृगया पानमेतत्कामसमुत्थितम्। दुःखं चतुष्टय प्रोक्तं यैर्नरो भ्रश्यते श्रियः
Women, dice, hunting, and drinking—these four, arising from desire, are said to bring suffering, by which a man loses his prosperity.
तत्रसर्वत्रवक्तव्यं मन्यन्ते शास्त्रकोविदाः। विशेषतश्च वक्तव्यं द्यूते पश्यन्ति तद्विदः
On all these matters, the learned in the scriptures declare what should be said; but especially, those who know consider gambling most worthy of mention.
एकाहाद्द्रव्यनाशोऽत्र ध्रुवं व्यसनमेव च। अभुक्तनाशश्चार्थानां वाक्पारुष्यं च केवलम्
In gambling, there is certain loss of wealth in a single day, and only misfortune; the loss of unspent riches, and harsh words alone.
एतच्चान्यच्च कौरव्य प्रसङ्गिकटुकोदयम्। द्यूते ब्रूयां महाबाहो समासाद्याम्बिकासुतम्
O Kaurava, I would speak of this and other bitter consequences that arise from gambling, O mighty-armed one, when I meet the son of Ambikā.
एवमुक्तो यदि मया गृह्णीयाद्वचनं मम। अनामयं स्याद्धर्मश्च कुरूणां कुरुवर्दन
If, when thus addressed by me, he accepts my words, then there will be well-being and righteousness among the Kurus, O enhancer of the Kurus.
न चेत्स मम राजेन्द्र गृह्णीयान्मधुरं वचः। पथ्यं च भरतश्रेष्ठ निगृह्णीयां बलेन तम्
But if, O king, he does not accept my gentle and wholesome speech, O best of the Bharatas, I would restrain him by force.
अथैनमविनीतेन सुहृदो नाम दुर्हृदः। सभासदोऽनुवर्तेरंस्तांश्च इन्यां दुरोदरान्
Then, with his lack of discipline, his so-called friends are truly ill-wishers; I would turn away those companions in the assembly, and remove those evil-hearted ones.
असान्निध्यं तु कौरव्य ममानर्तेष्वभूत्तदा। येनेदं व्यसनं प्राज्ञा भवन्तो द्यूतकारितम्
But, O Kaurava, my absence at that time from these calamities is the reason why, O wise ones, you have suffered this disaster caused by gambling.
सोहमेत्य कुरुश्रेष्ठ द्वारकां पाण्डुनन्दन। अश्रौषं त्वां व्यसनिनं युयुधानाद्यथातथम्
Therefore, O best of Kurus, having come to Dvārakā, O son of Pāṇḍu, I heard from Yuyudhāna and others, just as it happened, that you were afflicted by misfortune.
श्रुत्वैव चाहं राजेन्द्र परमोद्विग्रमानसः। तूर्णमभ्यागतोस्मित्वां द्रष्टुकामो विशंपते
And having heard this, O king, my mind became greatly disturbed; I quickly came, desiring to see you, O lord of men.
अहो कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्ताः सर्वे स्म भरतर्षभ। सोऽहं त्वां व्यसने मग्नं पश्यामि सह सोदरैः
Alas, O bull among the Bharatas, you have all encountered great hardship; thus I see you, plunged in misfortune together with your brothers.
असान्निध्यं कथं कृष्ण तवासीद्वृष्णिनन्दन। क्व चासीद्विप्रवासस्ते किंचाकार्षीः प्रवासतः
How was it, O Kṛṣṇa, delight of the Vṛṣṇis, that you were absent? Where had you gone in exile, and what did you do during your stay away?
साल्वस्य नगरं सौभं गतोऽहं भरतर्षभ। निहन्तुं कौरवश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे शृणु कारणम्
I had gone, O bull among the Bharatas, to the city of Śālva called Saubha, O best of the Kurus, to destroy it; hear from me the reason for this.
महातेजा महांवाहुर्यः स राजा महायशाः। दमघोषात्मजो वीरः शिशुपालो मया हतः
That king of great energy and mighty arms, the illustrious son of Damaghoṣa, the heroic Śiśupāla, was slain by me.
यज्ञे ते भरतश्रेष्ठ राजसूयेऽर्हणां प्रति। स रोषवशमापन्नो नामृष्यत दुरात्मवान्
At your Rājasūya sacrifice, O best of the Bharatas, when you were being honored, he, overcome by anger, could not endure it, being wicked in mind.
श्रुत्वा तं निहतं साल्वस्तीव्ररोषसमन्वितः। उपायाद्द्वारकां शून्यामिहस्थे मयि भारत
Hearing that he had been slain, Śālva, filled with intense anger, approached Dvārakā, which was empty, O Bhārata, while I was present here.
स तत्र युद्धमकरोद्बालकैर्वृष्णिपुङ्गवैः। निवृत्तः कामगं सौभमारुह्यैव नृशंसवत्
There he fought with the young foremost Vṛṣṇis, and then, ceasing, he ascended the Saubha, acting cruelly.