Shloka 71
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
न तत् परस्य संदध्यात् प्रतिकूल यदात्मन: । संग्रहेणैष धर्म: स्थात् कामादन्य: प्रवर्तते
na tat parasya sandadhyāt pratikūla yad ātmanaḥ | saṅgraheṇaiṣa dharmaḥ syāt kāmād anyaḥ pravartate ||
Vidura sprach: „Man soll einem anderen nicht antun, was man als sich selbst zuwider oder schädlich erkennt. Kurz: Dies ist die eigentliche Definition von Dharma. Jedes Handeln, das aus kāma (Begierde) hervorgeht und dem entgegenläuft, ist adharma.“
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma, in essence, is the rule of non-harm and reciprocity: do not inflict on others what you recognize as adverse to yourself. Actions driven by selfish desire (kāma) that violate this principle are adharma.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral and political counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations. Here he distills ethical conduct into a concise maxim, warning that desire-driven behavior undermines righteousness.