Shloka 2
ऐ उपास्तीर्णा सभा राजन्नक्षानुप्त्वा युधिष्ठिर । एहि पाण्डव दीव्येति पिता त्वाहेति भारत,“भरतकुलभूषण पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिर! आपके पिता राजा धृतराष्ट्रने यह आदेश दिया है कि तुम लौट आओ। हमारी सभा फिर सदस्योंसे भर गयी है और तुम्हारी प्रतीक्षा कर रही है। तुम पासे फेंककर जूआ खेलो'
vaiśampāyana uvāca | eṣā upāstīrṇā sabhā rājann akṣān āptvā yudhiṣṭhira | ehi pāṇḍava dīvyeti pitā tv āheti bhārata ||
“O King, the assembly hall is now fully convened. O Yudhiṣṭhira, having obtained the dice, come—O Pāṇḍava—and play. Thus, O Bhārata, your father (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) has commanded.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a classic dharmic tension: obedience to a king/elder versus the ethical danger of participating in adharma-prone activities like gambling. It foreshadows how social duty and royal command can pressure a righteous person into a situation with grave moral consequences.
The court has reconvened and the dice are ready. Yudhiṣṭhira is formally summoned back to the assembly and instructed to play, with the message presented as Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s direct order—initiating the decisive gambling episode of the Sabha Parva.