Shloka 18
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
इमं धर्म कुरवो जानताशु ध्वस्ते धर्मे परिषत् सम्प्रदुष्येत् । इमां चेत् पूर्व कितवोडग्लहिष्य- दीशो5भविष्यदपराजितात्मा
imaṃ dharmaṃ kuravo jānata āśu dhvaste dharme pariṣat sampraduṣyet | imāṃ cet pūrvaṃ kitavo ’glahiṣyad īśo ’bhaviṣyad aparājitātmā kaurava ||
ວິດູຣະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ກຸຣຸທັງຫຼາຍ ຈົ່ງເຂົ້າໃຈຫຼັກແຫ່ງທັມນີ້ໃນທັນທີ: ເມື່ອທັມຖືກທຳລາຍ ສະພາຫຼວງທັງມວນຈະຖືກເປື້ອນດ້ວຍຄຳຕຳນິ. ແລະຖ້າກະສັດຜູ້ຫຼິ້ນພະນັນນັ້ນ ໄດ້ນຳນາງນີ້ໄປວາງເປັນພະນັນກ່ອນທີ່ຈະເສຍຕົນເອງ ໂອ ກອຣະວະ ລາວຈະຍັງເປັນເຈົ້າຂອງຕົນ—ບໍ່ຖືກພິຊິດ—ແລະອາດອ້າງອຳນາດໃນການກະທຳນັ້ນໄດ້».
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that the legitimacy of a royal court depends on protecting dharma; when dharma is violated, the entire assembly shares the stain. He also argues that a person who has lost himself (through being staked and lost) loses moral and legal authority to stake others.
In the Kuru court after the dice game, Vidura rebukes the proceedings: he warns the Kurus that the sabhā becomes culpable if it permits adharma. He points to the impropriety of Yudhiṣṭhira’s staking of Draupadī after having already lost his own person, questioning the validity of that wager.