Janamejaya said: -
1. How did that gambling take place, the play which was full of such evils to the brothers and which plunged my grandsires into such sorrow?
2. O best of all Veda-knowing men, who were the kings that were present in that Sabha and who amongst them approved of the play and who forbade it?
3. O sinless one, O foremost of the twice borne. I desire to hear narrated by you in detail all this which became the cause of the destruction of all the world.
Sauti said: -
4. Having been thus addressed by the king, the powerful disciple of Vyasa, (Vaishampayana), learned in all the Vedas, narrated everything as it happened.
Vaishampayana said: -
5. O best of the Bharata race, O great king, if you desire to hear it, listen to it. I narrate all this in detail.
6. Knowing the opinion of Vidura, the son of Ambika, Dhritarashtra, thus spoke to Duryodhana in private.
Dhritarashtra said: -
7. O son of Gandhara, there is no need of playing dice. Vidura does not praise it. That greatly intelligent man will never give me advice that is not good for me.
8. I consider that what Vidura said is greatly beneficial to me. O son, do it; for I consider it to be for your good also.
9. The greatly learned man, Vidura, knows all the sciences with their mysteries which the illustrious, learned and wise Brihaspati, the great Rishi who is the preceptor of Vasava (Indra), taught to the intelligent king of the immortals.
10. O son, I always follow his counsel. The greatly wise Vidura is considered to be the foremost of the Kurus.
11. As the greatly intelligent Udhava (is considered to be the foremost) of the Vrishnis. O son, O prince, have nothing with gambling. Dissension is the evident result of gambling.
12-13. Dissension causes ruin to a kingdom. O son, therefore, abandon (the idea of gambling). O son, you have obtained all that is hard to be obtained from the father and the mother. You have obtained the rank and the possessions of your ancestors, you are taught, you are made learned in the Shastras, you were carefully brought up in the house.
14. You are the eldest amongst all your brothers, you are placed over the kingdom; why do you not consider yourself fortunate and happy? You get the very best kind of food and robes, unobtainable by ordinary men.
15-16. O mighty armed hero, O son, having obtained all this, why do you grieve? O mighty armed hero, ruling over your large ancestral kingdom swelling with people and wealth, you shine as splendidly as the chief of the celestials in heaven. O possessor of knowledge, you should tell me what can be the root of your grief which has made you so melancholy.
Duryodhana said: -
17. I am a sinful wretch that I eat and dress, though see the prosperity of the enemy. It has been said that a man is a wretch who does not feel jealousy at the sight of his enemy’s prosperity.
18. O king of kings, O lord, this ordinary prosperity does not please me. I am greatly pained on seeing the burning prosperity of the son of Kunti.
19. I tell you, my life must be very hard to be parted with from my body, and therefore I am still alive after seeing all the kings of the world enduring the sway of Yudhishthira.
20. The Nipas, the Chitrakas, the Kukuras, the Karaskaras and the Lohajanghas are living in the Yudhishthira’s palace like bondsmen.
21. The Himalayas, the ocean, the regions on the sea-shore and the numberless other regions that yield gems and jewels have all acknowledged their inferiority to the palace of Yudhishthira.
22. O king, on consideration of my being the eldest and the foremost. I was engaged in receiving the gems and jewels (brought as tribute by the kings).
23. O descendant of Bharata, the limit and the like of the excellent and the invaluable jewels that were brought there have never been seen.
24. O king, my hands were tired to receive that wealth. When I became tired they that brought that wealth from distant places waited (till I could resume my task).
25. Having brought jewels from Bindu lake, Maya built a lake-like ground made of crystal. O descendant of Bharata, seeing the place full of lotuses, I mistook it for waster.
26. Seeing me draw up my clothes, Vrikodara (Bhima) laughed at me, considering me as destitute of jewels and deprived of my reason at the affluence of the enemy.
27. “O king, if I had the ability, I would have instantly killed Vrikodara (for his laughter), O king, if we now try to kill Bhima.
28. Our fate will be certainly as that of Shishupala. O descendant of Bharata, that insult by the enemy bums me.
29. O king, again seeing a similar lake full of water, I mistook it for a crystal surface, and I fell into it.
30. At this Bhima with Partha (Arjuna) laughed aloud, and Draupadi with other females laughed also. This greatly pains my heart.
31. My robes having been wet, the servants gave me other clothes at the command of the king (Yudhishthira). That also is my great sorrow.
32-33. O king, listen to another mistake (I made) which I speak of. In attempting to pass through what was exactly of the shape of a door, but which was not really a door, I struck my forehead against it and injured myself. Thereupon the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva), seeing from a distance that I was struck, came and supported me in their arms, and expressed great concern (for my injury).
34. Sahadeva then again and again told me with smiles, “O king, this is the door, Go this way.”
35. O king, Bhimasena laughed aloud, and addressing me, he spoke thus to me. “O son of Dhritarashtra, this is the door”.
36. I had not even heard the names of the gems that I saw in that palace. It is for this reason my heart is so much burning.