Shloka 42
Adhyāya 22: Śālva’s Weapon-Shower, Dāruka’s Wounding, and the Māyā-Report of Vasudeva’s Father
तदेतत् कारणं राजन् यदहं नागसाह्नयम् । नागमं परवीरघ्न न हि जीवेत् सुयोधन:,राजन! यही कारण है, जिससे मैं उन दिनों हस्तिनापुरमें न आ सका। शत्रुवीरोंका नाश करनेवाले धर्मराज! मेरे आनेपर या तो जूआ नहीं होता या दुर्योधन जीवित नहीं रह पाता। जैसे बाँध टूट जानेपर पानीको कोई नहीं रोक सकता, उसी प्रकार आज जबकि सब कुछ बिगड़ चुका है, तब मैं क्या कर सकूँगा
tadetat kāraṇaṁ rājan yad ahaṁ nāgasāhnayam | nāgamaṁ paravīraghna na hi jīvet suyodhanaḥ ||
王よ、これこそが、あの頃わたしがハースティナプラ（Hāstinapura）へ赴けなかった理由である。敵の勇士を滅ぼす者よ、もしわたしが到着していたなら、賽（さい）の賭けはそもそも起こらなかったか、さもなくばスヨーダナ（Suyodhana—ドゥルヨーダナ）は生き残れなかったであろう。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral causality: when adharma (here, the destructive gambling episode) is set in motion, it brings irreversible consequences. It also implies that timely restraint or righteous intervention could have prevented the catastrophe, but once the breach occurs, events rush forward with overwhelming force.
Vāyudeva explains to the king (addressed as Dharmarāja/Yudhiṣṭhira) why he did not come to Hāstinapura at the critical time. He states that his presence would have prevented the dice game altogether, or else Duryodhana would not have survived—indicating that the calamity unfolded because the decisive check did not occur then.