Shloka 18

कृष्णेन विदुरं प्रति आगमन-हेतु-निवेदनम् / Krishna explains the purpose of his coming to Vidura

Devanagari script

अनुपासिततवृद्ध त्वाच्छियो दर्पाच्च मोहित: । वयोदर्पादमर्षाच्च न ते श्रेयो ग्रहीष्यति

Transliteration

anupāsitatavṛddha tvācchiyo darpācca mohitaḥ | vayodarpādamarṣācca na te śreyo grahīṣyati ||

Translation

দুর্যোধন কখনও বয়োজ্যেষ্ঠদের সেবা বা শ্রদ্ধা করেনি। রাজলক্ষ্মীর দম্ভে সে মোহিত; যৌবনের অহংকারে মত্ত এবং পাণ্ডবদের প্রতি ক্রোধ-অমর্ষে দগ্ধ। তাই তোমার কল্যাণকর উপদেশও সে গ্রহণ করবে না।

Word by Word

• {'anupāsita': 'not attended to

• not practiced', 'tavṛddha (tān vṛddhān)': 'the elders

• venerable seniors', 'tvācchiyaḥ (tvayā ucyamānam)': 'what is spoken by you

• your words/counsel', 'darpa': 'pride

• arrogance', 'mohitaḥ': 'deluded

• bewildered', 'vayo-darpa': 'pride of youth

• youthful arrogance', 'amarṣa': 'resentment

• anger at others’ prosperity', 'śreyaḥ': 'what is beneficial

• the good', 'grahīṣyati': 'will accept

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duryodhana
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pride—whether from power, wealth, or youth—combined with resentment makes a person unreceptive to wise, beneficial advice. Respectful attention to elders and self-restraint are presented as prerequisites for accepting śreyaḥ (true welfare).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana characterizes Duryodhana’s mindset during the tense pre-war negotiations: he is portrayed as untrained in serving elders and blinded by arrogance and hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas, therefore unlikely to accept conciliatory or welfare-oriented counsel.