Shloka 17
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुकक््त्वा धृतराष्ट्रो मनीषी दैवं मत्वा परमं दुस्तरं च । शशासोच्चै: पुरुषान् पुत्रवाक्ये स्थितो राजा दैवसम्मूढचेता:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | evam uktvā dhṛtarāṣṭro manīṣī daivaṁ matvā paramaṁ dustaraṁ ca | śaśāsa uccaiḥ puruṣān putravākye sthito rājā daivasammūḍhacetāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem er so geredet hatte, hielt der weise König Dhṛtarāṣṭra das Schicksal (daiva) für das Höchste und schwer zu überwinden; von seiner Macht wurde sein Inneres verblendet, und er verlor die Klarheit darüber, was zu tun und was zu lassen sei. Dann, den Worten seines Sohnes folgend, befahl der König mit lauter Stimme seinen Dienern, sogleich zu handeln.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attributing everything to fate (daiva) can become an excuse for moral paralysis: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s mind is ‘bewildered by fate,’ and he abandons discernment about duty, choosing instead to follow his son’s prompting.
After speaking, Dhṛtarāṣṭra concludes that destiny is overpowering and becomes mentally confused; then, accepting his son’s counsel, he orders his men/attendants to proceed with the next action (the surrounding passage continues with preparations for the grand assembly hall).