Shloka 56
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
पूर्वराचरितं यत् तत् कुराजभिररिंदम । अक्षद्यूतं मृगवध: कच्चिदेषां सुखावहम्
pūrvarācaritaṃ yat tat kurājabhir arindama | akṣadyūtaṃ mṛgavadhaḥ kaccid eṣāṃ sukhāvaham | śatrudamana śrīkṛṣṇa |
“O manlulupig ng kaaway, O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! Ang mga kaugaliang itinanim noon ng masasamang hari—ang pagsusugal sa dice at ang pagpatay sa pangangaso—naghatid ba kailanman ng tunay na ligaya sa kanila? (Hindi kailanman.)”
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.