Shloka 2836
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
द्यूतत: कृच्छुमापन्नो लूनपक्ष इव द्विज: । संजय! मेरे मन्त्री और पुत्र मारे गये। मैं तो पंख कटे हुए पक्षीके समान जूएके कारण भारी संकटमें पड़ गया हूँ
dyūtataḥ kṛcchram āpanno lūnapakṣa iva dvijaḥ | sañjaya! me mantriṇaḥ putrāś ca mārītāḥ | ahaṃ tu paṅkha-kaṭita-pakṣī-sadṛśo dyūta-kāraṇād bhāri saṅkaṭe patito 'smi ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Kerana perjudian, aku telah jatuh ke dalam kesengsaraan yang amat berat—seperti burung yang dipotong sayapnya. Sañjaya, para menteriku dan anak-anakku telah terbunuh. Dadu itulah yang membawa aku kepada bencana yang menghimpit ini, menjadikan aku tidak berdaya dan hancur.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames gambling (dyūta) as a moral and political failing whose consequences cascade into irreversible loss. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s simile of a wing-clipped bird highlights how indulgence and negligence can strip a ruler of agency, leading to ruin for family and state.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the war’s devastation through Sañjaya, laments that his ministers and sons have been killed. He traces the catastrophe back to the dice-game, confessing his helplessness and despair as the Kuru house collapses.