Shloka 11
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
धृतराष्ट्र रवाच सर्वथा पुत्र बलिभिरवींग्रहो मे न रोचते । वैरं विकारं सृजति तद् वै शस्त्रमनायसम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sarvathā putra balibhir vīgraho me na rocate | vairaṃ vikāraṃ sṛjati tad vai śastram anāyasam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “My son, I do not at all approve of entering into conflict with the powerful. Enmity and opposition breed grave disorder and set great strife in motion; indeed, such hostility is a weapon that destroys a family even without iron.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hostility itself becomes a destructive force: enmity generates disorder and escalates into ruin, so a ruler should avoid needless conflict—especially against stronger parties—because the moral and social damage can be as lethal as weapons.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra counsels his son (Duryodhana) against provoking or sustaining a quarrel with powerful opponents, warning that vengeful rivalry creates turmoil and can destroy a lineage even without open warfare.