Shloka 56
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
पूर्वराचरितं यत् तत् कुराजभिररिंदम । अक्षद्यूतं मृगवध: कच्चिदेषां सुखावहम्,शत्रुदमन श्रीकृष्ण! पहलेके दुष्ट राजाओंने जो जूआ और शिकारकी परिपाटी चला दी है, वह क्या इन सबके लिये सुखावह सिद्ध हुई है? (अपितु कदापि नहीं।)
pūrvarācaritaṃ yat tat kurājabhir arindama | akṣadyūtaṃ mṛgavadhaḥ kaccid eṣāṃ sukhāvaham | śatrudamana śrīkṛṣṇa |
“Wahai penunduk musuh, wahai Śrī Kṛṣṇa! Adat yang ditetapkan sejak dahulu oleh raja-raja jahat—berjudi dengan dadu dan membunuh binatang dalam buruan—pernahkah ia benar-benar membawa kebahagiaan kepada mereka? (Tidak pernah.)”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practices normalized by corrupt rulers—especially gambling and violent sport—do not yield true welfare; they breed harm and disorder, so dharma requires rejecting such ‘traditional’ vices even if they are long-established.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Śrī Kṛṣṇa, invoking him as a subduer of enemies, and rhetorically questions whether the old royal habits of dice-play and hunting have ever benefited anyone—implying that these customs have historically led to suffering rather than happiness.