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,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--दूसरेके लिये दूसरेका जूआ खेलना मुझे तो अनुचित ही प्रतीत होता है। विद्वन्! इस बातको समझ लो, फिर इच्छानुसार जूएका खेल प्रारम्भ हो
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: anyenānyasya hi vai dyūtaṁ viṣamaṁ pratibhāti me | etad vidvann upādatsva kāmam evaṁ pravartatām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “To me, this gambling—one person playing on behalf of another—appears unfair and improper. Understand this clearly, O learned one; then, if you still wish, let the game proceed in that manner.”
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.