Word of the Day: जुआ खेलना

Gambling Scene from Mahabharata

Today's word of the day is जुआ खेलना (jou-aa kail-na, roughly) is a verb that means "to gamble".  Literally translated, it means to play at gambling (खेलना is to play).  Gambling is a favorite sport of the gods in the Mahabharata.  (Although it's certainly possible that the gods may gamble with a different verb- gods often get their own special verbs different from the verbs of us mere mortals.)  A related feminine noun, संभावना (san-bhav-na), means "chance" and gives us the opportunity to create a sentence:
मुझे लगता है कि संभावना अच्छी है; इस लिये मैं जुआ खेल रही हुँ।  (I feel that my chances are good; therefore, I am gambling.)  Yes, the use of a semicolon in the midst of Devanagari is a creation of my own.


One word to the wise- never gamble if you don't feel your chances are good!