विदुर उवाच
परं भयं पश्यत भीमसेनाद्; बुध्यध्वं राज्ञो वरुणस्येव पाशात् ॥
दैवेरितो नूनम् अयं पुरस्तात्; परो ऽनयो भरतेषूदपादि ॥
अतिद्यूतं कृतम् इदं धार्तराष्ट्रा; ये ऽस्यां स्त्रियं विवदध्वं सभायाम् ॥
योगक्षेमो दृश्यते वो महाभयः; पापान् मन्त्रान् कुरवो मन्त्रयन्ति ॥
इमं धर्मं कुरवो जानताशु; दुर्दृष्टे ऽस्मिन् परिषत् संप्रदुष्येत् ॥
इमां चेत् पूर्वं कितवो ऽग्लहीष्यद्; ईशो ऽभविष्यद् अपराजितात्मा ॥
स्वप्ने यथैतद् धि धनं जितं स्यात्; तद् एवं मन्ये यस्य दीव्यत्य् अनीशः ॥
गान्धारिपुत्रस्य वचो निशम्य; धर्माद् अस्मात् कुरवो मापयात ॥
vidura uvāca
paraṃ bhayaṃ paśyata bhīmasenād; budhyadhvaṃ rājño varuṇasyeva pāśāt ||
daiverito nūnam ayaṃ purastāt; paro 'nayo bharateṣūdapādi ||
atidyūtaṃ kṛtam idaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrā; ye 'syāṃ striyaṃ vivadadhvaṃ sabhāyām ||
yogakṣemo dṛśyate vo mahābhayaḥ; pāpān mantrān kuravo mantrayanti ||
imaṃ dharmaṃ kuravo jānatāśu; durdṛṣṭe 'smin pariṣat saṃpraduṣyet ||
imāṃ cet pūrvaṃ kitavo 'glahīṣyad; īśo 'bhaviṣyad aparājitātmā ||
svapne yathaitad dhi dhanaṃ jitaṃ syāt; tad evaṃ manye yasya dīvyaty anīśaḥ ||
gāndhāriputrasya vaco niśamya; dharmād asmāt kuravo māpayāta ||
[Vidura:] "Behold the supreme danger coming from Bhimasena; understand it as the noose of King Varuna. Surely, urged on by fate, this greatest calamity has arisen from of old among the Bharatas. An excessive game you have made of this, sons of Dhritarashtra, disputing over a woman in the assembly; your welfare appears fraught with great danger — the Kurus are contriving evil counsels. Know then quickly this dharma, O Kurus: at ill judgment in this matter, the assembly is corrupted. If the gambler had staked her before himself, he would have been her master, not yet having lost himself; but as wealth won in a dream, so do I deem the winnings of one who gambles without being a master. Heed the word of Gandhari's son [Duryodhana] — and turn away from this adharma, O Kurus."
21490a0cd166 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
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Vidura again sets forth a clear law: one who has lost himself owns nothing more, and his stake concerning another is as worthless as treasure seen in a dream. The image of dream-wealth is precise: waking, one finds nothing in one's hand — so too Duryodhana's "winnings" are empty before dharma. Vidura also points to a supernatural danger: Bhima's wrath is like Varuna's noose, and fate already moves toward ruin. The verse teaches that what is wrongly acquired is not acquired at all; that an assembly which judges ill is itself corrupted; and that the wise, seeing calamity approach, do not tire of calling for retreat while there is still time — for one who is warned yet does not heed chooses his own ruin.