Shloka 85
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
प्रमदा: कामयानेषु यजमानेषु याजका: । राजा विवदमानेषु नित्यं॑ मूर्खेषु पण्डिता:
pramadāḥ kāmayāneṣu yajamāneṣu yājakāḥ | rājā vivadamāneṣu nityaṁ mūrkheṣu paṇḍitāḥ ||
Vidura erkennt ein wiederkehrendes Muster in der Gesellschaft: Frauen finden sich unter denen, die vom Begehren getrieben sind; Priester scharen sich um die Opfernden; der König wird in die Mitte der Streitenden gezogen; und Gelehrte sind beständig unter Toren—um zu belehren, zu zügeln oder durch deren Torheit geprüft zu werden. Der Vers zeigt, dass Weisheit oft mitten in Unordnung und Unwissen wirken muss.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Certain tendencies and social functions repeatedly cluster: desire attracts the company of women, sacrifice attracts priests, disputes draw in rulers, and folly inevitably becomes the field where the wise must work. The ethical point is that wisdom and governance are tested amid conflict and ignorance, so one should be vigilant about the company and situations one enters.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is offering counsel marked by sharp observations about conduct and society. This verse functions as a compact ‘nīti’ statement, describing predictable human and institutional patterns relevant to political negotiation and the management of conflict.