Shloka 45
दमयन्त्याः व्याकुलता — स्वयंवरसंनिपातः — देवदूतयाचनम्
Damayantī’s Distress, Proclamation of the Svayaṃvara, and the Gods’ Request
ध्तराष्ट्र उवाच यन्माब्रवीद् विदुरो द्यूतकाले त्वं पाण्डवाग्जेष्यसि चेन्नरेन्द्र । ध्रुवं कुरूणामयमन्तकालो महाभयो भविता शोणितौघ:,धृतराष्ट्र बोले--संजय! जब जूआ खेला जा रहा था, उस समय विदुरने मुझसे जो यह बात कही थी कि नरेन्द्र! यदि आप पाण्डवोंको जूएमें जीतेंगे तो निश्चय ही यह कौरवोंके लिये खूनकी धारासे भरा हुआ अत्यन्त भयंकर विनाशकाल होगा
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yan mām abravīd viduro dyūtakāle tvaṃ pāṇḍavān jeṣyasi cen narendra | dhruvaṃ kurūṇām ayam antakālo mahābhayo bhavitā śoṇitaughaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai Sañjaya, kata-kata Vidura kepadaku pada waktu permainan dadu—bahawa, ‘Wahai raja, jika tuanku memenangi Pāṇḍava melalui perjudian, itu pasti menjadi saat kebinasaan bagi kaum Kuru’—kini terbukti benar: pengakhiran yang mengerikan, ketakutan yang besar, dan banjir darah.”
ध्तराष्ट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignoring righteous counsel and pursuing unjust gain—here, winning the Pāṇḍavas through gambling—invites inevitable ruin. The verse frames adharma as self-destructive: a king’s moral failure becomes collective catastrophe, culminating in terror and bloodshed.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls Vidura’s earlier warning from the dice-game: that defeating the Pāṇḍavas by gambling would bring the Kurus’ destruction. Speaking to Sañjaya, he recognizes that the foretold outcome—an end marked by great fear and a flood of blood—is unfolding.