Shloka 10
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
न व्याधयो नापि यम: प्राप्तुं श्रेय: प्रतीक्षते । यावदेव भवेत् कल्पस्तावच्छेय: समाचरेत्,रोग अथवा यमराज इस बातकी प्रतीक्षा नहीं करते कि इसने श्रेय प्राप्त कर लिया या नहीं। अतः जबतक अपनेमें सामर्थ्य हो, तभीतक अपने हितका साधन कर लेना चाहिये
na vyādhayo nāpi yamaḥ prāptuṃ śreyaḥ pratīkṣate | yāvad eva bhavet kalpas tāvac chreyaḥ samācaret |
Duryodhana berkata: “Penyakit mahupun Maut (Yama) tidak menunggu untuk melihat sama ada seseorang telah mencapai kebaikan sejati. Maka, selagi masih berdaya dan hayat masih berbaki, hendaklah seseorang berusaha menempuh jalan kebajikan tertinggi (śreyas) demi dirinya.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is uncertain: illness and death do not wait for one to become ready or to complete one’s higher aims. Therefore one should pursue śreyas—true welfare and right conduct—without delay, while strength and opportunity remain.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana speaks in a reflective, exhortative tone, emphasizing urgency: since death can arrive at any time, one should act promptly to secure one’s perceived good. The statement functions as a moral maxim within the unfolding political and ethical tensions of the assembly.