Shloka 44
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
धन हो या न हो, मित्रोंसे कुछ भी न माँगते हुए उनका सत्कार तो करे ही। मित्रोंके सार-असारकी परीक्षा न करे ।।
santāpād bhraśyate rūpaṃ santāpād bhraśyate balam | santāpād bhraśyate jñānaṃ santāpād vyādhim ṛcchati ||
Vidura lehrt: Ob Reichtum da ist oder nicht, man soll Freunde ehren, ohne etwas von ihnen zu verlangen, und sie nicht prüfen, um ihren „Kern“ oder ihre „Nichtigkeit“ zu ermessen. Denn Kummer und inneres Brennen zehren am Menschen: Aus Gram schwinden Schönheit und Fassung; aus Gram schwindet die Kraft; aus Gram geht die Einsicht verloren; und aus Gram fällt der Mensch schließlich in Krankheit.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura warns that sustained grief (santāpa) is not merely an emotion but a destructive force: it diminishes one’s appearance and composure, weakens bodily strength, clouds judgment, and can culminate in illness. Therefore one should master sorrow rather than be mastered by it.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral counsel (nīti) amid the tense pre-war negotiations and family crisis. This verse is part of his instruction emphasizing inner steadiness and practical wisdom, showing how emotional turmoil undermines the ability to act dharmically.