It is almost certain that Yudhisthira was addicted to gambling. He gambled his kingdom, wealth, property, even Draupadi, etc. Although he was righteous, it seems that his weakness was gambling. So why was he able to climb Mount Sumeru when the other Pandavas and Draupadi fell due to their weaknesses?
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1All jivas born as humans have weaknesses. All men have strengths as well as weaknesses. Perfection lies only in God. Judge a man by his good attributes, not by his weaknesses. Despite his weaknesses, he had great longing for God.– Swami VishwanandaApr 28, 2021 at 3:38
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4He engaged in gambling by command of his uncle or when challanged by another king..in that time, king couldn't refuse to war or dice when challanged by other king..– YDSMay 5, 2021 at 3:01
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1@SwamiVishwananda - Yudhishtira did not have a weakness for gambling. It's like saying Swami Vivekananda had a weakness for meat.– marMay 8, 2021 at 17:19
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2 Answers
Duplicate, but I'm answering anyways.
Killing is wrong.
Gambling is wrong.
But both have exceptions.
King killing men (or wealth) in battle when challenged is not wrong.
King pawning wealth (or men) in gambling when challenged is not wrong.
Moreover, it was supposed to be a game among family, with his own brothers, invited by his own father's elder brother.
Refusing it would be like refusing to eat dinner at your cousin's house. He had no premonition that they would resort to cheating or cruelty.
Indra already tells that it was already ordained that Yudhisthira would go to heaven in his very own human body when Yudhisthira asked Indra about how he can reach when his four brothers and his wife dropped.
"Shakra said, ‘Thou shalt behold thy brothers in Heaven. They have reached it before thee. Indeed, thou shalt see all of them there, with Krishna. Do not yield to grief, O chief of the Bharatas. Having cast off their human bodies they have gone there, O chief of Bharata’s race. As regards thee, it is ordained that thou shalt go thither in this very body of thine.’