Adhyāya 8 — Vidura’s Return and the Kaurava Counsel (Āraṇyaka-parva)
न मे प्रियं महाबाहो यद् गता: पाण्डवा वनम् | निकृत्या निकृताश्चैव दुर्योधनपुरोगमै:,महाबाहो! पाण्डवलोग जो वनमें भेजे गये हैं, यह मुझे अच्छा नहीं लगा है। दुर्योधन आदिने उन्हें छलपूर्वक जूएमें हराया है
na me priyaṃ mahābāho yad gatāḥ pāṇḍavā vanam | nikṛtyā nikṛtāś caiva duryodhana-purogamaiḥ ||
Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, aku tidak berkenan para Pāṇḍava pergi ke rimba. Mereka telah dizalimi melalui tipu daya—ditipu dan dikalahkan dalam permainan dadu oleh mereka yang dipimpin Duryodhana.
व्यास उवाच
The verse condemns outcomes produced by fraud: even if an action appears legally or procedurally concluded, deceit (nikṛti) makes it ethically invalid. It underscores that adharma-based victory brings moral blame and sets the stage for future consequences.
Vyāsa laments that the Pāṇḍavas have been driven to forest exile after being cheated—an allusion to the rigged gambling episode—by Duryodhana and his faction. The statement signals disapproval from a revered sage and frames the exile as an injustice rather than a rightful punishment.