Shloka 25
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
ज्ञातयस्तारयन्तीह ज्ञातयो मज्जयन्ति च | सुवृत्तास्तारयन्तीह दुर्वत्ता मज्जयन्ति च
jñātayas tārayantīha jñātayo majjayanti ca | suvṛttās tārayantīha durvattā majjayanti ca ||
Vidura sagt: In dieser Welt sind es die eigenen Verwandten, die einen sicher hinübertragen können—und es sind dieselben Verwandten, die einen auch zum Sinken bringen können. Verwandte von guter Lebensführung werden zur rettenden Stütze; Verwandte von verderbter Lebensführung werden zur Ursache des Untergangs.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Family ties are powerful but morally neutral: the same circle of relatives can become one’s protection or one’s downfall. Therefore, the decisive factor is character—virtuous conduct uplifts, corrupt conduct destroys.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers ethical counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations. He warns that the fate of a person (and a dynasty) is shaped by the conduct of its own members—good relatives support and rescue, while wicked relatives drag one into disaster.