Shloka 18
वैशम्पायन उवाच जनप्रवादान् सुबहूज्छूण्वन्नपि नराधिप: । दिया च धर्मसंयोगात् पार्थों द्यूतमियात् पुन:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! लोगोंकी तरह-तरहकी बातें सुनते हुए भी राजा युधिष्ठिर लज्जाके कारण तथा धृतराष्ट्रके आज्ञापालनरूप धर्मकी दृष्टिसे पुनः: जूआ खेलनेके लिये उद्यत हो गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca
janapravādān subahūñ śṛṇvann api narādhipaḥ |
hrīyā ca dharmasaṃyogāt pārtho dyūtam iyāt punaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Walaupun mendengar pelbagai cakap-cakap dan khabar angin orang ramai, sang raja—Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira)—kerana malu, dan juga kerana rasa kewajipan yang terikat pada ketaatan kepada titah Dhṛtarāṣṭra, sekali lagi bertekad untuk pergi ke permainan dadu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: even when aware of public criticism and the dangers of vice, a ruler may act from shame and a misconstrued sense of dharma—here, treating obedience to an elder-king’s command as duty—showing how social pressure and authority can distort ethical judgment.
After the first disastrous gambling, Yudhiṣṭhira hears widespread public talk about the events, yet he again prepares to go to the dice-game, motivated by embarrassment and by the duty he feels in complying with Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s directive.