Shloka 1
याज्ञसेनी-प्रश्नः
Draupadī’s Question in the Assembly
औपनआक्ात छा 2 - प्राचीनकालमें प्रचलित एक सिक्का
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evaṁ pravartite dyūte ghore sarvā-pahāriṇi | sarva-saṁśaya-nirmoktā viduro vākyam abravīt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, while that dreadful game of dice—one that strips a man of everything—was in progress, Vidura, the dispeller of all doubts, spoke these words.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gambling as a morally ruinous force that can confiscate one’s entire life-situation; it also elevates wise counsel (Vidura) as the means to cut through confusion and restore ethical clarity.
As the catastrophic dice match is underway, the narrator signals a turning point: Vidura—known for clear-sighted judgment—intervenes and begins to speak, preparing to warn and advise amid the unfolding injustice.