Shloka 2
सभा-पर्व, अध्याय 56: विदुरस्य द्यूत-निन्दा
Vidura’s Censure of Dicing and Warning to the Kurus
शकुनि बोला--विजयी वीरोंमें श्रेष्ठ दुर्योधन! तुम पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठटिकी जिस लक्ष्मीको देखकर संतप्त हो रहे हो, उसका मैं द्यूतके द्वारा अपहरण कर लूँगा ।।
āhṛyatāṃ paraṃ rājan kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | agatvā saṃśayam ahaṃ ayuddhvā ca camūmukhe ||
Шакуни сказал: «О царь, немедля призови Юдхиштхиру, сына Кунти. Не питая сомнений и не вступая в бой перед собранным войском, я одолею Пандавов одним лишь броском костей — и сам не понесу телесного вреда. Я знаю искусство игры, тогда как Пандавы в нём неискусны».
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how adharma can masquerade as ‘victory’ when achieved through manipulation rather than fair contest. It warns that exploiting another’s weakness (here, Yudhiṣṭhira’s susceptibility to gambling) corrodes righteousness and sets in motion wider social and familial ruin.
Śakuni urges the king to summon Yudhiṣṭhira and declares he will defeat the Pāṇḍavas not by battle but by dice, relying on his own expertise in gambling and their lack of skill—thus initiating the infamous dice-game episode.