युधिष्ठिर उवाच
द्यूते क्षत्तः कलहो विद्यते नः; को वै द्यूतं रोचयेद् बुध्यमानः ॥
किं वा भवान् मन्यते युक्तरूपं; भवद्वाक्ये सर्व एव स्थिताः स्म ॥
विदुर उवाच
जानाम्य् अहं द्यूतम् अनर्थमूलं; कृतश् च यत्नो ऽस्य मया निवारणे ॥
राजा तु मां प्राहिणोत् त्वत्सकाशं; श्रुत्वा विद्वञ् श्रेय इहाचरस्व ॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
dyūte kṣattaḥ kalaho vidyate naḥ; ko vai dyūtaṃ rocayed budhyamānaḥ ||
kiṃ vā bhavān manyate yuktarūpaṃ; bhavadvākye sarva eva sthitāḥ sma ||
vidura uvāca
jānāmy ahaṃ dyūtam anarthamūlaṃ; kṛtaś ca yatno 'sya mayā nivāraṇe ||
rājā tu māṃ prāhiṇot tvatsakāśaṃ; śrutvā vidvañ śreya ihācarasva ||
[Yudhishthira:] 'In gambling, O Kshattri, strife is born among us; who indeed, understanding this, would approve of gambling? What do you consider fitting? We all abide by your word.' [Vidura:] 'I know that gambling is the root of ruin, and I have made an effort to avert it; but the king has sent me to you. Having heard this, O wise one, do here what is good.'
fa3ccb523b0f · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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Yudhishthira sees the truth as clearly as Vidura: 'in gambling strife is born; who, understanding this, would approve?' It is telling that both the one who summons and the one summoned know the harm—and yet the matter still moves toward it. The verse teaches that clear knowledge of evil does not always suffice to avoid it: both men are bound by ties of another kind—Vidura by command, Yudhishthira by duty. And the tragedy is that the wise, seeing the abyss, walk toward it, led not by ignorance but by the very sense of obligation. Vidura honestly lays the choice aside—'do what is good'—leaving the decision to the most righteous; but even the most righteous is bound by the cord of dharma, which wrongdoing will turn to its own use.