Shloka 14
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
स्वर्गद्वारं दीव्यतां नो विशिष्ट तद्धर्तिनां चापि तथैव युक्तम् । भवेदेवं हात्मना तुल्यमेव दुरोदरं पाण्डवैस्त्वं कुरुष्व
svargadvāraṁ dīvyatāṁ no viśiṣṭa taddhartināṁ cāpi tathaiva yuktam | bhaved evaṁ hātmanā tulyam eva durūdaraṁ pāṇḍavais tvaṁ kuruṣva ||
Duryodhana said: “O eminent one, let the game be played as the very gateway to heaven for us; and it is only fitting that those who uphold that (code of play) should act accordingly. Let it be so—on equal terms, with no advantage taken. Arrange the dice-game with the Pāṇḍavas in a fair manner.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gambling as something that should be governed by propriety and equality, highlighting the ethical tension between the ideal of fair play and the political use of the dice-game as a tool to harm rivals.
Duryodhana urges that the dice-game with the Pāṇḍavas be arranged and played, presenting it as ‘proper’ and insisting on ‘equal terms’—a claim that, in the broader Sabha Parva context, contrasts with the later manipulation of the game.