Shloka 53

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)

Devanagari script

ऐश्वर्यमदपापिष्ठा मदा: पानमदादय: । ऐश्वर्यमदमत्तो हि नापतित्वा विबुध्यते,यों तो (मादक वस्तुओंके) पीनेका नशा आदि भी नशा ही है, किंतु ऐश्वर्यका नशा तो बहुत ही बुरा है; क्योंकि ऐश्वर्यके मदसे मतवाला पुरुष भ्रष्ट हुए बिना होशमें नहीं आता

Transliteration

aiśvaryamada-pāpiṣṭhā madāḥ pānamadādayaḥ | aiśvaryamada-matto hi nāpatitvā vibudhyate ||

Translation

Vidura sprach: „Unter allen Arten von Rausch — wie dem Rausch des Trinkens — ist keiner sündhafter als der Rausch von Macht und Wohlstand. Denn wer durch den Stolz der Herrschaft tollkühn wird, kommt nicht zur Besinnung, ehe er in den Untergang gestürzt ist.“

Word by Word

ऐश्वर्य-मद-पापिष्ठाःmost sinful due to the intoxication of power/sovereignty

मदाःintoxications, prides

पान-मद-आदयःthe intoxication of drinking and the like

ऐश्वर्य-मद-मत्तःone intoxicated by power/sovereignty

हिindeed, for

नnot

आपतित्वाhaving fallen into (misfortune), having come to ruin

विबुध्यतेcomes to his senses, realizes

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?

The most dangerous intoxication is not wine but the pride born of power and prosperity; it blinds judgment so thoroughly that a person often understands only after suffering a downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral counsel (nīti) meant to restrain destructive choices; here he warns that royal power can intoxicate and lead to ruin unless checked by humility and discernment.