Shloka 56
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
पूर्वराचरितं यत् तत् कुराजभिररिंदम । अक्षद्यूतं मृगवध: कच्चिदेषां सुखावहम्
pūrvarācaritaṃ yat tat kurājabhir arindama | akṣadyūtaṃ mṛgavadhaḥ kaccid eṣāṃ sukhāvaham | śatrudamana śrīkṛṣṇa |
«Oh domador de enemigos, oh Śrī Kṛṣṇa: las costumbres instauradas antaño por reyes malvados —el juego de dados y la caza que mata animales—, ¿han traído alguna vez verdadera dicha a esta gente? (Jamás.)»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practices normalized by corrupt rulers—especially gambling and violent sport—do not yield true welfare; they breed harm and disorder, so dharma requires rejecting such ‘traditional’ vices even if they are long-established.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Śrī Kṛṣṇa, invoking him as a subduer of enemies, and rhetorically questions whether the old royal habits of dice-play and hunting have ever benefited anyone—implying that these customs have historically led to suffering rather than happiness.