Shloka 43
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
विनयभाव अपयशका नाश करता है, पराक्रम अनर्थको दूर करता है, क्षमा सदा ही क्रोधका नाश करती है और सदाचार कुलक्षणका अन्त करता है ।।
vinayabhāva apayaśakā nāśa kartā hai, parākrama anarthako dūra kartā hai, kṣamā sadā hī krodhakā nāśa kartī hai aura sadācāra kula-kṣaṇakā anta kartā hai. || paricchadena kṣetreṇa veśmanā paricaryayā | parīkṣeta kulaṁ rājan bhojanācchādanena ca ||
Vidura lehrt weiter: Demut vernichtet Schande; Tapferkeit vertreibt Unheil; Vergebung löscht stets den Zorn; und guter Wandel beendet die schlechten Merkmale eines Geschlechts. Dann rät er dem König: „O König, prüfe die wahre Qualität einer Familie nicht nach Behauptungen, sondern nach greifbaren Zeichen—nach ihrer Ausstattung und ihrem Gerät, nach ihrem Land, nach ihrem Haus, nach ihrer Art des Dienens und der Fürsorge, und auch nach Speise und Kleidung.“
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura links inner virtues to social outcomes: humility prevents dishonor, valor removes dangers, forgiveness ends anger, and sustained good conduct corrects a family’s blemishes. He also teaches practical discernment—judge a household’s true standing by observable conduct and stewardship (home, land, service, food, clothing), not by mere reputation.
In Vidura’s counsel to the king during the tense pre-war diplomacy of the Udyoga Parva, he offers ethical instruction and statecraft: cultivating virtues for stability, and advising how a ruler should assess families/lineages through concrete indicators of order, hospitality, and disciplined living.