यदा मन्युं पाण्डवो ऽजातशत्रुर्; न संयच्छेद् अक्षमयाभिभूतः ॥
वृकोदरः सव्यसाची यमौ च; को ऽत्र द्वीपः स्यात् तुमुले वस् तदानीम् ॥
महाराज प्रभवस् त्वं धनानां; पुरा द्यूतान् मनसा यावद् इच्छेः ॥
बहु वित्तं पाण्डवांश् चेज् जयेस् त्वं; किं तेन स्याद् वसु विन्देह पार्थान् ॥
yadā manyuṃ pāṇḍavo 'jātaśatrur; na saṃyacched akṣamayābhibhūtaḥ ||
vṛkodaraḥ savyasācī yamau ca; ko 'tra dvīpaḥ syāt tumule vas tadānīm ||
mahārāja prabhavas tvaṃ dhanānāṃ; purā dyūtān manasā yāvad iccheḥ ||
bahu vittaṃ pāṇḍavāṃś cej jayes tvaṃ; kiṃ tena syād vasu vindeha pārthān ||
«When the Pandava Ajatashatru, overcome by impatience, fails to restrain [his] wrath — and Vrikodara, Savyasachin, and the [two] twins likewise — what island [of refuge] will there be for you then amid [that] turmoil? O great king, you are the source of riches; even before the game [you have] as much as your mind could wish. Even if you were to win great wealth — and the Pandavas themselves — what use would that be? Win, instead, the Parthas [their love]; wealth is here already.»
2d6ca360ddde · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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Vidura utters the wisest counsel: ‘win the Parthas [their love]; wealth is here already.’ The contrast between wealth and brothers is telling: you already have the gold, but the love of kinsmen is worth more than gold and, once lost, is lost forever. The verse teaches that the true acquisition is not things but hearts: to win possessions while losing one's brothers is poverty. And the fearsome question — ‘what island will save you when the Pandavas' wrath breaks loose?’ — reveals the true price of the venture: for a paltry win, they risk perishing in the flood of war. Whoever trades the love of kin for their possessions wins the small and loses the great; and there is no island in the ocean of fratricidal strife.