Shloka 126
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
यदेकविजये युद्ध पणितं घोरमीदृशम् । पाण्डुनन्दन! एककी ही हार-जीतसे सबकी हार-जीतकी शर्त लगाकर जो इन्होंने इस भयंकर युद्धको जूएका दाँव बना डाला, यह धर्मराजकी बड़ी भारी नासमझी है
yad ekavijaye yuddhe paṇitaṃ ghoram īdṛśam | pāṇḍunandana! ekakī hi hāra-jītase sabkī hāra-jītakī śarta lagākara yo inhone is bhayaṅkara yuddhako jūe kā dāṃva banā ḍālā, yah dharmarājakī baṛī bhārī nāsamajhī hai |
قال فايُو: «يا ابنَ باندو! إنّ جعلَ هذا الرهانَ الرهيب معلّقًا على نصرٍ واحدٍ في القتال—بحيث تُعلَّق غلبةُ الجميع أو هزيمتُهم على رميةٍ واحدة، كأنّ هذه الحربَ الفظيعةَ رهانُ مقامر—لَهوَ حماقةٌ جسيمةٌ من دهرماراجا».
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, decisions must be governed by discernment and responsibility; turning collective fate into a single reckless wager is ethically blameworthy, especially for a ruler committed to dharma.
Vāyudeva addresses a Pāṇḍava and criticizes Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) for allowing the conflict’s outcome to hinge on a single, dreadful ‘stake,’ likening the war to a gambler’s throw that endangers everyone.