Krishna Explains Why He Could Not Stop the Dice Game

Verse 1 (3.13.1)

नैतत्कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्तो भवान्स्याद्वसुधाधिप । यद्यहं द्वारकायां स्यां राजन्सन्निहितः पुरा ॥

naitatkṛcchramanuprāpto bhavānsyādvasudhādhipa | yadyahaṃ dvārakāyāṃ syāṃ rājansannihitaḥ purā

This hardship would not have come upon you, O lord of the earth, had I been at hand in Dvaraka earlier, O king.

Note on the text: Speaker: the heading reads वासदेव उवाच, a misprint for वासुदेव (the page's other copy of the text and the critical edition read वासुदेव उवाच).

Verse 2 (3.13.2)

आगच्छेयमहं द्यूतमनाहूतोऽपि कौरवैः । आम्बिकेयेन दुर्धर्ष राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन च । वारयेयमहं द्यूतं बहून्दोषान्प्रदर्शयन् ॥

āgaccheyamahaṃ dyūtamanāhūto'pi kauravaiḥ | āmbikeyena durdharṣa rājñā duryodhanena ca | vārayeyamahaṃ dyūtaṃ bahūndoṣānpradarśayan

I would have come to the dice game even without being invited by the Kauravas, by King Dhritarashtra, Ambika's son, or by Duryodhana, O invincible one; and I would have stopped the game by pointing out its many evils.

Note on the text: Corrected दोपान् → दोषान् (misprint in Wikisource, प for ष; the critical edition reads doṣān). This verse is CE 3.14.2 + 3.14.3ab (Wikisource divides the lines differently).

Verse 3 (3.13.3)

भीष्मद्रोणौ समानाय्य कृपं बाह्लीकमेव च । वैचित्रवीर्यं राजानमलं द्यूतेन कौरव ॥

bhīṣmadroṇau samānāyya kṛpaṃ bāhlīkameva ca | vaicitravīryaṃ rājānamalaṃ dyūtena kaurava

I would have called together Bhishma and Drona, Kripa and Bahlika, and said to King Dhritarashtra, son of Vichitravirya: "Enough of this dicing, O Kaurava,

Note on the text: This verse is CE 3.14.3cd + 3.14.4ab (Wikisource divides the lines differently).

Verse 4 (3.13.4)

पुत्राणां तव राजेन्द्र त्वन्निमित्तमिति प्रभो । तत्राचक्षमहं दोषान्यैर्भवान्व्यतिरोपितः ॥

putrāṇāṃ tava rājendra tvannimittamiti prabho | tatrācakṣamahaṃ doṣānyairbhavānvyatiropitaḥ

this dicing of your sons, O lord of kings — the blame will fall on you, my lord." There I would have laid bare the evils by which you have been cast down,

Note on the text: This verse is CE 3.14.4cd + 3.14.5ab (Wikisource divides the lines differently); its second line (तत्राचक्षमहं दोषान्यैर्भवान्व्यतिरोपितः for tatra vakṣyāmy ahaṃ doṣān yair bhavān avaropitaḥ) is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 5 (3.13.5)

वीरसेनसुतो यैस्तु राज्यात्प्रभ्रंशितः पुरा । अतर्कितविनाशश्च देवनेन विशांपते ॥

vīrasenasuto yaistu rājyātprabhraṃśitaḥ purā | atarkitavināśaśca devanena viśāṃpate

and by which Virasena's son Nala was once driven from his kingdom; and I would have told of the unforeseen ruin that gambling brings, O lord of the people,

Note on the text: This verse is CE 3.14.5cd + 3.14.6ab (Wikisource divides the lines differently); अतर्कितविनाशश्च for abhakṣitavināśaṃ ca is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 6 (3.13.6)

सातत्यं च प्रसङ्गस्य वर्णयेयं यथातथम् ॥

sātatyaṃ ca prasaṅgasya varṇayeyaṃ yathātatham

and I would have described exactly how the habit, once formed, never lets go.

Note on the text: This half-verse is CE 3.14.6cd; nothing is lost, Wikisource having carried the rest of the critical edition's verse into the verses before it.

Verse 7 (3.13.7)

स्त्रियोऽक्षा मृगया पानमेतत्कामसमुत्थितम् । दुःखं चतुष्टयं प्रोक्तं यैर्नरो भ्रश्यते श्रियः ॥

striyo'kṣā mṛgayā pānametatkāmasamutthitam | duḥkhaṃ catuṣṭayaṃ proktaṃ yairnaro bhraśyate śriyaḥ

Women, dice, hunting and drink — these four, born of desire, are called the miseries through which a man falls from fortune.

Note on the text: Corrected चतुष्टय → चतुष्टयं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara, the critical edition reads catuṣṭayaṃ). दुःखं and यैर्नरो for vyasanaṃ and yai rājan are recension variants and are kept.

Verse 8 (3.13.8)

तत्र सर्वत्र वक्तव्यं मन्यन्ते शास्त्रकोविदाः । विशेषतश्च वक्तव्यं द्यूते पश्यन्ति तद्विदः ॥

tatra sarvatra vaktavyaṃ manyante śāstrakovidāḥ | viśeṣataśca vaktavyaṃ dyūte paśyanti tadvidaḥ

Those versed in the treatises hold that all of these are to be spoken against in every case; but those who know them see dicing as the one most of all to be spoken against.

Note on the text: Restored missing word spaces (तत्रसर्वत्रवक्तव्यं → तत्र सर्वत्र वक्तव्यं).

Verse 9 (3.13.9)

एकाहाद्द्रव्यनाशोऽत्र ध्रुवं व्यसनमेव च । अभुक्तनाशश्चार्थानां वाक्पारुष्यं च केवलम् ॥

ekāhāddravyanāśo'tra dhruvaṃ vyasanameva ca | abhuktanāśaścārthānāṃ vākpāruṣyaṃ ca kevalam

In it, wealth is lost within a single day, and calamity is certain; riches are lost before they are enjoyed, and there is nothing but harsh words.

Verse 10 (3.13.10)

एतच्चान्यच्च कौरव्य प्रसङ्गिकटुकोदयम् । द्यूते ब्रूयां महाबाहो समासाद्याम्बिकासुतम् ॥

etaccānyacca kauravya prasaṅgikaṭukodayam | dyūte brūyāṃ mahābāho samāsādyāmbikāsutam

This and more, O Kauravya — the bitter fruit the habit bears — I would have told Ambika's son about dicing, once I had reached him, O mighty-armed one.

Verse 11 (3.13.11)

एवमुक्तो यदि मया गृह्णीयाद्वचनं मम । अनामयं स्याद्धर्मश्च कुरूणां कुरुवर्धन ॥

evamukto yadi mayā gṛhṇīyādvacanaṃ mama | anāmayaṃ syāddharmaśca kurūṇāṃ kuruvardhana

If, so addressed, he had accepted my words, there would have been well-being and righteousness for the Kurus, O you who make the Kurus prosper.

Note on the text: Corrected कुरुवर्दन → कुरुवर्धन (misprint in Wikisource, द for ध). धर्मश्च for the critical edition's dharmasya is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 12 (3.13.12)

न चेत्स मम राजेन्द्र गृह्णीयान्मधुरं वचः । पथ्यं च भरतश्रेष्ठ निगृह्णीयां बलेन तम् ॥

na cetsa mama rājendra gṛhṇīyānmadhuraṃ vacaḥ | pathyaṃ ca bharataśreṣṭha nigṛhṇīyāṃ balena tam

And if he would not accept my gentle and wholesome words, O lord of kings, O best of the Bharatas, I would have restrained him by force.

Verse 13 (3.13.13)

अथैनमविनीतेन सुहृदो नाम दुर्हृदः । सभासदोऽनुवर्तेरंस्तांश्च हन्यां दुरोदरान् ॥

athainamavinītena suhṛdo nāma durhṛdaḥ | sabhāsado'nuvarteraṃstāṃśca hanyāṃ durodarān

And if then those courtiers — friends in name but enemies at heart — had gone along with him in his wrongdoing, I would have slain them, those gamblers.

Note on the text: Corrected इन्यां → हन्यां (misprint in Wikisource; इन्यां is no word, the sense is "I would slay"). The critical edition's verse (athainān abhinīyaivaṃ … bhedayeyaṃ durodarān) differs in most of its words; Wikisource's reading is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 14 (3.13.14)

असान्निध्यं तु कौरव्य ममानर्तेष्वभूत्तदा । येनेदं व्यसनं प्राप्ता भवन्तो द्यूतकारितम् ॥

asānnidhyaṃ tu kauravya mamānarteṣvabhūttadā | yenedaṃ vyasanaṃ prāptā bhavanto dyūtakāritam

But at that time I was away from the Anartas, O Kauravya, and that is how you came into this calamity brought about by dice.

Note on the text: Corrected प्राज्ञा → प्राप्ता (misprint in Wikisource; the line needs the verb "you came into", as the critical edition's prāptā and the page's other copy of the text read).

Verse 15 (3.13.15)

सोऽहमेत्य कुरुश्रेष्ठ द्वारकां पाण्डुनन्दन । अश्रौषं त्वां व्यसनिनं युयुधानाद्यथातथम् ॥

so'hametya kuruśreṣṭha dvārakāṃ pāṇḍunandana | aśrauṣaṃ tvāṃ vyasaninaṃ yuyudhānādyathātatham

When I reached Dvaraka, O best of the Kurus, son of Pandu, I heard from Yuyudhana (Satyaki) exactly how misfortune had befallen you.

Note on the text: Corrected सोहमेत्य → सोऽहमेत्य (missing avagraha; the critical edition reads so 'ham etya).

Verse 16 (3.13.16)

श्रुत्वैव चाहं राजेन्द्र परमोद्विग्नमानसः । तूर्णमभ्यागतोऽस्मि त्वां द्रष्टुकामो विशांपते ॥

śrutvaiva cāhaṃ rājendra paramodvignamānasaḥ | tūrṇamabhyāgato'smi tvāṃ draṣṭukāmo viśāṃpate

The moment I heard it, O lord of kings, I was deeply troubled in mind, and I have come here quickly to see you, O lord of the people.

Note on the text: Corrected परमोद्विग्रमानसः → परमोद्विग्नमानसः (misprint in Wikisource, ग्र for ग्न), तूर्णमभ्यागतोस्मित्वां → तूर्णमभ्यागतोऽस्मि त्वां (missing avagraha and word space) and विशंपते → विशांपते (misprint; the critical edition reads paramodvignamānasaḥ, abhyāgato 'smi tvāṃ, viśāṃ pate).

Verse 17 (3.13.17)

अहो कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्ताः सर्वे स्म भरतर्षभ । सोऽहं त्वां व्यसने मग्नं पश्यामि सह सोदरैः ॥

aho kṛcchramanuprāptāḥ sarve sma bharatarṣabha | so'haṃ tvāṃ vyasane magnaṃ paśyāmi saha sodaraiḥ

Ah, all of us have met with hardship, O bull of the Bharatas, now that I see you sunk in misfortune together with your brothers.

Note on the text: Its second line (सोऽहं त्वां व्यसने मग्नं पश्यामि for ye vayaṃ tvāṃ vyasaninaṃ paśyāmaḥ) is a recension variant and is kept.