Shloka 126
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
यदेकविजये युद्ध पणितं घोरमीदृशम् । पाण्डुनन्दन! एककी ही हार-जीतसे सबकी हार-जीतकी शर्त लगाकर जो इन्होंने इस भयंकर युद्धको जूएका दाँव बना डाला, यह धर्मराजकी बड़ी भारी नासमझी है
yad ekavijaye yuddhe paṇitaṃ ghoram īdṛśam | pāṇḍunandana! ekakī hi hāra-jītase sabkī hāra-jītakī śarta lagākara yo inhone is bhayaṅkara yuddhako jūe kā dāṃva banā ḍālā, yah dharmarājakī baṛī bhārī nāsamajhī hai |
Vāyu said: “O son of Pāṇḍu! To stake such a dreadful wager on a single victory in battle—making everyone’s defeat or triumph depend on one throw, as though this terrible war were a gambler’s stake—this is a grave folly on the part of Dharmarāja.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, decisions must be governed by discernment and responsibility; turning collective fate into a single reckless wager is ethically blameworthy, especially for a ruler committed to dharma.
Vāyudeva addresses a Pāṇḍava and criticizes Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) for allowing the conflict’s outcome to hinge on a single, dreadful ‘stake,’ likening the war to a gambler’s throw that endangers everyone.