Mahabharata, Book 3, Section XIIIवनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 3.13.

13Sanskrit adhyāya 3.13 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

वासदेव उवाच।
नैतत्कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्तो भवान्स्याद्वसुधाधिप।
यद्यहं द्वारकायां स्यां राजन्सन्निहितः पुरा ।।
आगच्छेयमहं द्यूतमनाहूतोऽपि कौरवैः।
आम्बिकेयेन दुर्धर्ष राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन च।
वारयेयमहं द्यूतं बहून्दोपान्प्रदर्शयन् ।।
भीष्मद्रोणौ समानाय्य कृपं बाह्लीकमेव च।
वैचित्रवीर्यं राजानमलं द्यूतेन कौरव ।।
पुत्राणां तव राजेन्द्र त्वन्निमित्तमिति प्रभो।
तत्राचक्षमहं दोषान्यैर्भवान्व्यतिरोपितः ।।
वीरसेनसुतो यैस्तु राज्यात्प्रभ्रंशितः पुरा।
अतर्कितविनाशश्च देवनेन विशांपते ।।
सातत्यं च प्रसङ्गस्य वर्णयेयं यथातथम् ।।
स्त्रियोऽक्षा मृगया पानमेतत्कामसमुत्थितम्।
दुःखं चतुष्टय प्रोक्तं यैर्नरो भ्रश्यते श्रियः ।।
तत्रसर्वत्रवक्तव्यं मन्यन्ते शास्त्रकोविदाः।
विशेषतश्च वक्तव्यं द्यूते पश्यन्ति तद्विदः ।।
एकाहाद्द्रव्यनाशोऽत्र ध्रुवं व्यसनमेव च।
अभुक्तनाशश्चार्थानां वाक्पारुष्यं च केवलम् ।।
एतच्चान्यच्च कौरव्य प्रसङ्गिकटुकोदयम्।
द्यूते ब्रूयां महाबाहो समासाद्याम्बिकासुतम् ।।
एवमुक्तो यदि मया गृह्णीयाद्वचनं मम।
अनामयं स्याद्धर्मश्च कुरूणां कुरुवर्दन ।।
न चेत्स मम राजेन्द्र गृह्णीयान्मधुरं वचः।
पथ्यं च भरतश्रेष्ठ निगृह्णीयां बलेन तम् ।।
अथैनमविनीतेन सुहृदो नाम दुर्हृदः।
सभासदोऽनुवर्तेरंस्तांश्च इन्यां दुरोदरान् ।।
असान्निध्यं तु कौरव्य ममानर्तेष्वभूत्तदा।
येनेदं व्यसनं प्राज्ञा भवन्तो द्यूतकारितम् ।।
सोहमेत्य कुरुश्रेष्ठ द्वारकां पाण्डुनन्दन।
अश्रौषं त्वां व्यसनिनं युयुधानाद्यथातथम् ।।
श्रुत्वैव चाहं राजेन्द्र परमोद्विग्रमानसः।
तूर्णमभ्यागतोस्मित्वां द्रष्टुकामो विशंपते ।।
अहो कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्ताः सर्वे स्म भरतर्षभ।
सोऽहं त्वां व्यसने मग्नं पश्यामि सह सोदरैः ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अरण्यपर्वणइ
अर्जुनाभिगमनपर्वणि त्रयोदशोऽध्यायः ।। 13 ।।

English Ganguli

“Vasudeva said, O lord of earth, if I had been present at Dwaraka, then, O king, this evil would not have befallen thee! And, O irrepressible one, coming unto the gambling-match, even if uninvited by the son of Amvika (Dhritarashtra), or Duryodhana, or by the other Kauravas, I would have prevented the game from taking place, by showing its many evils, summoning to my aid Bhishma and Drona and Kripa, and Vahlika! O exalted one, for thy sake I would have told the son of Vichitravirya—O foremost of monarchs, let thy sons have nothing to do with dice!—I would have shown the many evils (of dice) through which thou hast fallen into such distress and the son of Virasena was formerly deprived of his kingdom! O king, unthought of evils, befall a man from dice! I would have described how a man once engaged in the game continueth to play (from desire of victory). Women, dice, hunting and drinking to which people become addicted in consequence of temptation, have been regarded as the four evils that deprive a man of prosperity. And those versed in the Sastras are of opinion that evils attend upon all these. They also that are addicted to dice know all its evils. O thou of mighty arms, appearing before the son of Amvika, I would have pointed out that through dice men in a day lose their possessions, and fall into distress, and are deprived of their untasted wealth, and exchange harsh words! O perpetuator of the Kuru race, I would have pointed out these and other attendant evils! If he had accepted my words thus addressed, the welfare of the Kurus as also virtue itself would both have been secured! And, O foremost of kings, if he had rejected my gentle counsels offered as medicine, then, O best of the Bharata race, I would have compelled him by force! And, if those who wait at his court, professing to be his friends but in reality his foes, had supported him, then I would have slain them all, along with those gamblers, there present! O Kauravya, it is owing to my absence from the Anartta country at that time that thou hast fallen into such distress begot of dice! O thou best of Kurus, O son of Pandu, on arriving at Dwarka I learnt from Yuyudhana all about thy calamity! And, O foremost of kings, directly I heard it with a heart sore agitated by grief, have I speedily come here wishing to see thee, O king! Alas! O bull of the Bharata race, ye have all fallen into dire distress! I see thee with thy brothers plunged in misfortune!”