Shloka 17
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
क्षत्तुर्यदा नान्ववर्तन्त बुद्धि कृच्छूं कुरून् सूत तदाभ्याजगाम । यावत् प्रज्ञामन्ववर्तन्त तस्य तावत् तेषां राष्ट्रवृद्धिर्ब भूव
kṣattur yadā nānvavartanta buddhiṃ kṛcchūṃ kurūn sūta tadābhyājagāma | yāvat prajñām anvavartanta tasya tāvat teṣāṃ rāṣṭravṛddhir babhūva, sūta |
Sañjaya sprach: O Sūta, als die Kurus aufhörten, dem scharfsinnigen Rat des Kṣattṛ (Vidura) zu folgen, kam die Not über sie. Solange sie nach seiner Weisheit handelten, gedieh ihr Reich; doch von dem Augenblick an, da sie seinen Rat verließen, begann das Unheil sie einzuholen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kingdom thrives when rulers heed wise, dharmic counsel; rejecting sound judgment—especially from a proven advisor like Vidura—invites decline and suffering. Ethical governance is shown as inseparable from practical prosperity.
Sañjaya addresses the Sūta and reflects on the Kurus’ change in conduct: while they followed Vidura’s counsel, their realm prospered; once they stopped listening to him, adversity began to befall them, foreshadowing the coming catastrophe.