Shloka 42
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Restraint and the Pāṇḍavas’ Authorized Return (धृतराष्ट्र-उपदेशः)
शिरो गृहीत्वा विदुरो गतसत्त्व इवाभवत् | आस्ते ध्यायन्नधोवक्त्रो नि:श्वसन्निव पन्नग:
śiro gṛhītvā viduro gatasattva ivābhavat | āste dhyāyann adhovaktro niḥśvasann iva pannagaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Vidura umklammerte mit beiden Händen sein Haupt und wurde, als wäre ihm Kraft und Bewusstsein entzogen. Mit gesenktem Gesicht saß er da, versunken in schweres Sinnen, schwer atmend wie eine Schlange—ein äußeres Zeichen des inneren Schmerzes, da im Saal das Dharma zusammenbrach.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical sensitivity of a dhārmic counsellor: when righteousness is violated in public life, a wise person may feel profound inner distress. Vidura’s bodily reaction symbolizes moral shock and the burden of witnessing adharma without being able to stop it.
In the Kuru assembly during the escalating injustice, Vidura is overwhelmed. Holding his head, he sits with lowered face, lost in anxious thought, breathing heavily—like a serpent—showing intense agitation and sorrow at the unfolding wrongdoing.