Shloka 19
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
किन्नु मे स्यादिदं कृत्वा किन्नु मे स्यादकुर्वतः । इति कर्माणि संचिन्त्य कुर्याद् वा पुरुषो न वा
kinnu me syād idaṃ kṛtvā kinnu me syād akurvataḥ | iti karmāṇi saṃcintya kuryād vā puruṣo na vā ||
قال فيدورا: «ماذا أكسب إن فعلتُ هذا، وماذا أخسر إن لم أفعله؟» فإذا تفكّر المرء في أفعاله على هذا النحو بتروٍّ، فليقرّر بعد ذلك أن يعمل أو أن يمتنع—اختيارًا عن تدبّر لا عن اندفاع.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before acting, one should weigh likely benefit and harm—both of doing and of not doing—then choose action or restraint with clear judgment. Vidura frames ethical agency as thoughtful evaluation rather than rashness.
In Udyoga Parva, as tensions move toward conflict, Vidura offers counsel grounded in niti (statecraft and ethics). Here he articulates a general rule for decision-making: reflect on consequences and then decide whether to proceed.