Shloka 3
Book 3 (Āraṇyaka-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Alliance Gathering; Arjuna’s Praise of Keśava; Draupadī’s Duḥkha-nivedana; Assurances and Vows
भीष्मद्रोणी समानाय्य कृपं बाह्लीकमेव च । वैचित्रवीर्य राजानमलं द्यूतेन कौरव,प्रभो! मैं आपके लिये भीष्म, द्रोण, कृप, बाह्नीक तथा राजा धृतराष्ट्रको बुलाकर कहता--“कुरुवंशके महाराज! आपके पुत्रोंकोी जूआ नहीं खेलना चाहिये।” राजन! मैं द्यूतसभामें जूएके उन दोषोंको स्पष्टरूपसे बताता, जिनके कारण आपको अपने राज्यसे वंचित होना पड़ा है
bhīṣma-droṇī samānāyya kṛpaṃ bāhlīkam eva ca | vaicitravīrya-rājānam alaṃ dyūtena kaurava prabho |
Vāyu said: “Having summoned Bhīṣma and Droṇa, and also Kṛpa and Bāhlīka, and King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—the heir of Vicitravīrya—I would declare: ‘O Kaurava lord, enough of gambling. Your sons should not play at dice.’ In the dice-hall I would plainly set forth the faults of gambling—those very causes by which you were deprived of your kingdom.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gambling (dyūta) is portrayed as a destructive vice that undermines judgment, family welfare, and royal stability; a righteous counselor should restrain it and warn rulers of its consequences.
Vāyu describes how he would convene the Kuru elders and Dhṛtarāṣṭra and openly admonish the Kaurava leadership to stop dice-play, explaining the specific harms that previously led to the loss of the kingdom.