Shloka 14

सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा

Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus

Devanagari script

स्वर्गद्वारं दीव्यतां नो विशिष्ट तद्धर्तिनां चापि तथैव युक्तम्‌ । भवेदेवं हात्मना तुल्यमेव दुरोदरं पाण्डवैस्त्वं कुरुष्व

Transliteration

svargadvāraṁ dīvyatāṁ no viśiṣṭa taddhartināṁ cāpi tathaiva yuktam | bhaved evaṁ hātmanā tulyam eva durūdaraṁ pāṇḍavais tvaṁ kuruṣva ||

Translation

दुर्योधन म्हणाला—श्रेष्ठ पुरुषा! आमच्यासाठी हे द्यूत जणू स्वर्गद्वारच आहे; आणि या नियमाचे पालन करणाऱ्यांनी तसेच वागणे योग्य आहे. म्हणून असेच होवो—समतेने, कोणताही लाभ न घेता. पांडवांसोबत न्याय्य रीतीने द्यूताची व्यवस्था करा.

Word by Word

स्वर्गद्वारम्the gate to heaven

दीव्यताम्let (it) be played / let there be play (of dice)

नःof us / for us

विशिष्टम्excellent, distinguished

तत्that

धर्तॄणाम्of the supporters/bearers (i.e., of the steadfast/virtuous)

चand

अपिalso, even

तथाthus, in that manner

एवindeed, just

युक्तम्proper, fitting

भवेत्would be / should be

एवम्thus

आत्मनाby oneself / with (your) own self

तुल्यम्equal, comparable

एवindeed, just

दुरोदरम्gambling / dice-play (lit. evil-belly)

पाण्डवैःwith the Pāṇḍavas

त्वम्you

कुरुष्वdo / undertake

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Pāṇḍavas

svarga (heaven)

durūdara (dice-game)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames gambling as something that should be governed by propriety and equality, highlighting the ethical tension between the ideal of fair play and the political use of the dice-game as a tool to harm rivals.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana urges that the dice-game with the Pāṇḍavas be arranged and played, presenting it as ‘proper’ and insisting on ‘equal terms’—a claim that, in the broader Sabha Parva context, contrasts with the later manipulation of the game.