Shloka 48
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
दुर्बुद्धिमकृतप्रज्ञं छन्न॑ कूपं तृणैरिव । विवर्जयीत मेधावी तस्मिन् मैत्री प्रणश्यति
durbuddhim akṛtaprajñaṁ channaṁ kūpaṁ tṛṇair iva | vivarjayīta medhāvī tasmin maitrī praṇaśyati ||
Vidura sprach: Ein Weiser soll den meiden, der schlechten Urteilssinn hat und wahrer Einsicht entbehrt—wie einen Brunnen, der von Gras verdeckt ist. Freundschaft mit einem solchen Menschen geht zugrunde, denn sie kann nicht auf Unterscheidungsvermögen und Vertrauen bestehen.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Choose companions with discernment: a person of bad judgment and undeveloped understanding is like a concealed danger. Friendship with such a person collapses because it lacks the stability of wisdom, reliability, and right conduct.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers ethical and practical counsel during tense political negotiations. Here he warns that associating closely—especially forming friendship or alliance—with an unwise, ill-intentioned person leads to inevitable breakdown and harm.