Shloka 10
अध्याय ६६: पुनर्द्यूत-प्रस्तावः
Proposal for a Renewed Dice Game
द्वारं सुघोरं नरकस्य जिह्ां न बुध्यते धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र: । तमन्वेतारो बहव: कुरूणां द्यूतोदये सह दुःशासनेन
dvāraṃ sughoraṃ narakasya jihvāṃ na budhyate dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putraḥ | tam anvetāro bahavaḥ kurūṇāṃ dyūtodaye saha duḥśāsanena ||
Vidura memberi amaran bahawa putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra tidak menyedari pintu gerbang neraka yang paling menggerunkan—seakan-akan lidah neraka itu sendiri. Tatkala permainan dadu mula bangkit, ramai dalam kalangan Kuru mengikutnya menuju kebinasaan itu, bersama Duḥśāsana, ditarik oleh dorongan nekat yang sama.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura frames the dice-game as a moral precipice: indulgence in adharma appears attractive but functions like the ‘tongue of hell’ that devours one’s discernment, reputation, and future. The warning is against blindness to consequences and against leading others into collective wrongdoing.
In the Sabha Parva context of the dyūta (gambling) episode, Vidura admonishes the Kuru court: Duryodhana fails to see that initiating the dice-game is a dreadful path to ruin, and many Kurus, along with Duḥśāsana, align themselves with him as the match begins.