Shloka 7
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
दुर्योधन उवाच व्यपनेष्यति ते बुद्धि विदुरो मुक्तसंशय: । पाण्डवानां हिते युक्तो न तथा मम कौरव
duryodhana uvāca vyapaneṣyati te buddhiṁ viduro mukta-saṁśayaḥ | pāṇḍavānāṁ hite yukto na tathā mama kaurava ||
Duryodhana said: “Vidura, free from all doubt, will turn your mind away from this resolve. O Kaurava, he is devoted to the welfare of the Pāṇḍavas, but not in the same way to mine.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ethical counsel (Vidura’s) threatens unjust resolve: a clear-minded advisor prioritizes dharma and the vulnerable, while a power-seeker interprets such impartiality as disloyalty.
As the dice-game plot advances, Duryodhana warns Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Vidura will dissuade him from proceeding, alleging that Vidura favors the Pāṇḍavas’ welfare over Duryodhana’s interests.