Shloka 2
Book 3 (Āraṇyaka-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Alliance Gathering; Arjuna’s Praise of Keśava; Draupadī’s Duḥkha-nivedana; Assurances and Vows
आगच्छेयमहं द्यूतमनाहूतो 5पि कौरवै: । आम्बिकेयेन दुर्धर्ष राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन च । वारयेयमहं द्यूतं बहून् दोषान् प्रदर्शयन्,दुर्जय वीर! अम्बिकानन्दन धृतराष्ट्र, राजा दुर्योधन तथा अन्य कौरवोंके बिना बुलाये भी मैं उस द्यूतसभामें आता और जूएके अनेक दोष दिखाकर उसे रोकनेकी चेष्टा करता
āgaccheyam ahaṃ dyūtam anāhūto 'pi kauravaiḥ | āmbikeyena durdharṣa rājñā duryodhanena ca | vārayeyam ahaṃ dyūtaṃ bahūn doṣān pradarśayan ||
Vāyu said: “Even if the Kauravas had not summoned me, I would have gone to that gambling hall—where the unconquerable king Duryodhana, son of Ambikā, presided—and I would have tried to stop the dice-play by pointing out its many faults. For gambling breeds ruin, blinds judgment, and drives men away from dharma.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gambling (dyūta) is portrayed as a serious ethical danger: it undermines self-control, distorts judgment, and leads to social and familial ruin. The verse emphasizes the duty of a well-wisher to intervene and warn against such destructive practices, even without being invited.
Vāyudeva declares that he would have entered the Kauravas’ gambling assembly uninvited and attempted to stop the dice-game by enumerating its many harms, specifically in the context of Duryodhana’s court.