Shloka 30

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

अश्रुतश्न समुन्नद्धो दरिद्रश्न महामना: । अर्थाश्वाकर्मणा प्रेप्सुर्मूढ इत्युच्यते बुधै:,बिना पढ़े ही गर्व करनेवाले, दरिद्र होकर भी बड़े-बड़े मनोरथ करनेवाले और बिना काम किये ही धन पानेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले मनुष्यको पण्डितलोग मूर्ख कहते हैं

Transliteration

aśrutaḥ śna samunnaddho daridraḥ śna mahāmanāḥ | arthāśvā karmaṇā prepsur mūḍha ity ucyate budhaiḥ ||

Translation

Vidura sagt: Die Weisen nennen „verblendet“ den Menschen, der ohne Bildung vor Stolz anschwillt; der, obwohl arm, großartige Wünsche hegt; und der, ohne zu arbeiten, dennoch nach Reichtum verlangt. Der Vers tadelt leere Überheblichkeit und wirklichkeitsferne Begierde und mahnt zu Demut, diszipliniertem Einsatz und einem Wohlstandsstreben im Einklang mit dem Dharma.

Word by Word

अश्रुतश्नःone who has not heard/learnt (uneducated)

समुन्नद्धःpuffed up, arrogant

दरिद्रःpoor, destitute

महामनाःhaving great ambitions (lit. great-minded)

अर्थाश्वाwhose horses are wealth (i.e., who relies on wealth as his means)

अकर्मणाby non-action, without doing work

प्रेप्सुःdesiring to obtain

मूढःdeluded, foolish

इतिthus

उच्यतेis called

बुधैःby the wise

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pride without learning, ambition without means, and craving for wealth without effort are marks of delusion; wisdom lies in humility, realistic aims, and earning through rightful action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel (nīti) during the Udyoga Parva, he offers ethical instruction by defining traits that the wise condemn, warning against arrogance and idle greed as the crisis of the Kuru court intensifies.