Shloka 22
Dyūta-doṣa-prakāśana — Kṛṣṇa’s Critique of Gambling and the Exile Crisis
एतत् कार्य महाबाहो येनाहं नागमं तदा । श्रुत्वैव हास्तिनपुरं द्यूतं चाविनयोत्थितम् । ट्रुतमागतवान् युष्मान् द्रष्टकाम: सुदु:ःखितान्,महाबाहो! यही कार्य उपस्थित हो गया था, जिससे मैं उस समय न आ सका। लौटनेपर ज्यों ही सुना कि हस्तिनापुरमें दुर्योधनकी उद्दण्डताके कारण जूआ खेला गया (और पाण्डव उसमें सब कुछ हारकर वनको चले गये); तब अत्यन्त दुःखमें पड़े हुए आपलोगोंको देखनेके लिये मैं तुरंत यहाँ चला आया
etat kāryaṃ mahābāho yenāhaṃ nāgamaṃ tadā | śrutvaiva hāstinapuraṃ dyūtaṃ cāvinayotthitam | tvaritam āgatavān yuṣmān draṣṭukāmaḥ suduḥkhitān ||
Ó de braços poderosos, foi este dever premente que me impediu de vir então. Mas assim que ouvi que, em Hāstinapura, se desencadeara um jogo de dados nascido da insolência, apressei-me a vir para cá—ansioso por ver-vos, vós que fostes lançados em profunda tristeza.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
That adharma often begins with avinaya (arrogant lack of restraint) and manifests in unethical acts like gambling; such actions bring widespread suffering, and a dharmic ally feels obligated to respond swiftly when injustice is heard.
Kṛṣṇa explains why he could not come earlier; upon hearing that a dice-game in Hāstinapura—driven by insolence—had led to the Pāṇḍavas’ ruin and sorrow, he hurried to meet them in their distressed state.