Shloka 82

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

Devanagari script

बुद्धी कलुषभूतायां विनाशे प्रत्युपस्थिते । अनयो नयसंकाशो हृदयान्नापसर्पति,विनाशकाल उपस्थित होनेपर बुद्धि मलिन हो जाती है; फिर तो न्यायके समान प्रतीत होनेवाला अन्याय हृदयसे बाहर नहीं निकलता

Transliteration

buddhī kaluṣabhūtāyāṃ vināśe pratyupasthite | anayo nayasaṃkāśo hṛdayān nāpasarpati ||

Translation

Vidura sprach: Wenn das Verderben nahe ist, wird der Verstand getrübt und befleckt. Dann weicht das Unrecht — das sich als kluge Politik und Gerechtigkeit ausgibt — nicht aus dem Herzen; es haftet daran, als wäre es das Rechte.

Word by Word

बुद्धिःintellect, understanding

कलुषभूतायाम्having become tainted/impure (in the state of being tainted)

विनाशेin destruction, at ruin

प्रत्युपस्थितेwhen (it is) present/arrived, impending

अनयःwrong conduct, injustice

नयसंकाशःappearing like justice/right policy

हृदयात्from the heart

नnot

अपसर्पतिwithdraws, departs, goes away

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?

As ruin approaches, discernment becomes clouded; then adharma can masquerade as naya (reasonable policy or justice) and lodge firmly in the heart. The verse warns that ethical collapse often begins as self-justification—wrong choices start feeling ‘right’ when the mind is tainted.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers hard counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations. He diagnoses the inner condition that precedes catastrophe: leaders nearing downfall lose clarity, and unjust decisions appear prudent, making them unwilling to abandon harmful courses.