Shloka 10
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
न व्याधयो नापि यम: प्राप्तुं श्रेय: प्रतीक्षते । यावदेव भवेत् कल्पस्तावच्छेय: समाचरेत्
na vyādhayo nāpi yamaḥ prāptuṃ śreyaḥ pratīkṣate | yāvad eva bhavet kalpas tāvac chreyaḥ samācaret |
Duryodhana said: “Neither disease nor Death waits to see whether a person has attained what is truly beneficial. Therefore, while one still has the capacity and the span of life remains, one should actively pursue one’s welfare (śreyas).”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is uncertain: illness and death do not wait for one to become ready or to complete one’s higher aims. Therefore one should pursue śreyas—true welfare and right conduct—without delay, while strength and opportunity remain.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana speaks in a reflective, exhortative tone, emphasizing urgency: since death can arrive at any time, one should act promptly to secure one’s perceived good. The statement functions as a moral maxim within the unfolding political and ethical tensions of the assembly.