Shloka 9
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
भयं परिहरन् मन्द आत्मानं परिपालयन् | वर्षासु क्लिन्नकटवत् तिष्ठन्नेवावसीदति
bhayaṃ pariharan manda ātmānaṃ paripālayan | varṣāsu klinnakaṭavat tiṣṭhann evāvasīdati ||
Duryodhana sprach: „Selbst wenn er die Furcht ablegt und auf sich achtet: Sitzt ein stumpfsinniger Mensch nur schweigend da und strengt sich nicht an, so sinkt er dahin — wie eine Matte, die in der Regenzeit durchnässt ist.“
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fearlessness and self-protection are not enough by themselves; without initiative and sustained effort, a person declines—illustrated by the image of a rain-soaked mat that collapses and rots.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana is voicing a hard, political-ethical maxim: in a competitive royal world, mere caution and passive waiting are ruinous; one must act (udyoga) to secure one’s aims.