Shloka 18

कृष्णेन विदुरं प्रति आगमन-हेतु-निवेदनम् / Krishna explains the purpose of his coming to Vidura

Devanagari script

अनुपासिततवृद्ध त्वाच्छियो दर्पाच्च मोहित: । वयोदर्पादमर्षाच्च न ते श्रेयो ग्रहीष्यति

Transliteration

anupāsitatavṛddha tvācchiyo darpācca mohitaḥ | vayodarpādamarṣācca na te śreyo grahīṣyati ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Duryodhana hat die Ältesten niemals geehrt noch auf sie gehört; er ist verblendet vom Hochmut, der aus königlichem Glück erwächst. Zudem, berauscht vom Stolz der Jugend und von Groll gegen die Pāṇḍavas entflammt, wird er selbst den heilsamen Rat, den du zu seinem eigenen Wohl gibst, nicht annehmen.“

Word by Word

• {'anupāsita': 'not attended to

• not practiced', 'tavṛddha (tān vṛddhān)': 'the elders

• venerable seniors', 'tvācchiyaḥ (tvayā ucyamānam)': 'what is spoken by you

• your words/counsel', 'darpa': 'pride

• arrogance', 'mohitaḥ': 'deluded

• bewildered', 'vayo-darpa': 'pride of youth

• youthful arrogance', 'amarṣa': 'resentment

• anger at others’ prosperity', 'śreyaḥ': 'what is beneficial

• the good', 'grahīṣyati': 'will accept

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duryodhana
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pride—whether from power, wealth, or youth—combined with resentment makes a person unreceptive to wise, beneficial advice. Respectful attention to elders and self-restraint are presented as prerequisites for accepting śreyaḥ (true welfare).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana characterizes Duryodhana’s mindset during the tense pre-war negotiations: he is portrayed as untrained in serving elders and blinded by arrogance and hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas, therefore unlikely to accept conciliatory or welfare-oriented counsel.