Krishna Regrets His Absence During the Gambling
Krishna arrives in the forest and tells Yudhishthira that everything that happened — the gambling, the loss of the kingdom, the exile — could have been prevented if he had been present. He describes exactly what he would have done: spoken gently first, then used force. His absence from Dvaraka, he says, was the single cause of all their misfortunes.
Krishna found Yudhishthira in the forest and spoke directly.
"O lord of the earth! O king! Had I been present in Dvaraka earlier, this misfortune would not have befallen you."
He laid out exactly what he would have done. Even if the Kauravas had not invited him to the gambling match — even if Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana had deliberately excluded him — he would have gone anyway. He would have prevented the gambling by pointing out the many evils that result from it. He would have brought in Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, and Bahlika — the elders whose voices carried weight in the Kuru court. For Yudhishthira's sake, he would have told Dhritarashtra: "O Kourava! O Indra among kings! O lord! Make your sons desist from this gambling."
He would have reminded them of what gambling had already done. He would have pointed out the evils through which Yudhishthira had been removed from his seat — and through which, in earlier times, Virasena's son had been deprived of his kingdom. "O lord of the earth! Whatever has not been eaten up is destroyed through gambling." He would have described how the addiction to gambling lasts continuously — how it consumes everything.
He would have named the four things that arise out of desire: women, gambling, hunting, and drinking. "O king! It has been said that these lead to loss of prosperity. Those who are learned in the sacred texts hold that while this is true of all of them, it can be especially seen in the case of gambling. On a single day, one may lose all one's property. Misery is certain. Wealth that has not been enjoyed is lost. Only harsh words are left."
He would have spoken these bitter words to Dhritarashtra. And if the old king had accepted them, the dharma of the Kurus would have remained undisturbed.
But if he had not — if his soft words, like medicine, had been rejected — Krishna would have done something else.
"O Indra among kings! O best of the Bharata lineage! If he had not accepted my soft words, which are like medicine, I would have restrained him through force. In similar fashion, I would have destroyed all the courtiers and gamblers, ill-wishers masquerading as well-wishers."
He would have stopped the gambling by any means necessary. He would have destroyed the men who had orchestrated it — Shakuni and the others who pretended to be friends while engineering Yudhishthira's ruin.
"O Kouravya! It was my absence from Anarta that led to all your misfortunes from gambling."
He had been in Dvaraka, his own city, when it happened. By the time he returned, Yuyudhana had told him everything. His mind had been filled with great anxiety. He had come swiftly — not to the court, but to the forest, to the place where Yudhishthira now lived in exile.
"O Pandu's son! O best of the Kurus! When I reached Dvaraka, I learnt everything about your misfortunes from Yuyudhana. O Indra among kings! As soon as I heard this, my mind was filled with great anxiety. O lord of the earth! I have swiftly come here, in a desire to see you. O bull among the Bharata lineage! All of us are beset with great difficulties, since we find you and your brothers immersed in this misfortune." Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 311