Shloka 21
Adhyāya 59: Vidura’s Admonition to Duryodhana after the Summons of Draupadī (सभा पर्व)
युधिछिर उवाच अन्येनान्यस्यथ वै द्यूतं विषमं प्रतिभाति मे । एतद् विद्वन्नुपादत्स्व काममेवं प्रवर्तताम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: anyenānyasya hi vai dyūtaṁ viṣamaṁ pratibhāti me | etad vidvann upādatsva kāmam evaṁ pravartatām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Mir erscheint dieses Würfelspiel—dass einer anstelle eines anderen spielt—unfair und ungehörig. Erkenne dies klar, o Gelehrter; und wenn du es dennoch wünschst, so soll das Spiel auf diese Weise fortgehen.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira highlights a principle of fairness: a contest should be between the actual parties involved, not conducted through substitutes. He signals that rules and agency matter ethically, even before the disastrous consequences of gambling unfold.
In the sabhā setting, as the dice match is being arranged, Yudhiṣṭhira objects that gambling ‘by one for another’ is improper and unequal. Yet, after stating his concern, he allows the game to proceed if the other side insists—foreshadowing the coercive, manipulative atmosphere of the dice episode.