Shloka 21
Dhruva-vaṁśa Continuation: Utkala’s Renunciation, Aṅga’s Sacrifice, and the Birth of Vena
Prelude to Pṛthu
विदुर उवाच तस्य शीलनिधे: साधोर्ब्रह्मण्यस्य महात्मन: । राज्ञ: कथमभूद्दुष्टा प्रजा यद्विमना ययौ ॥ २१ ॥
vidura uvāca tasya śīla-nidheḥ sādhor brahmaṇyasya mahātmanaḥ rājñaḥ katham abhūd duṣṭā prajā yad vimanā yayau
Vidura asked: O saintly brāhmaṇa, treasure of virtue and lover of brahminical culture, how did the gentle King Aṅga obtain a wicked son like Vena, because of whom he became indifferent and left his kingdom?
In family life a man is supposed to live happily with father, mother, wife and children, but sometimes, under certain conditions, a father, mother, child or wife becomes an enemy. It is said by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that a father is an enemy when he is too much in debt, a mother is an enemy if she marries for a second time, a wife is an enemy when she is very beautiful, and a son is an enemy when he is a foolish rascal. In this way, when a family member becomes an enemy it is very difficult to live in family life or remain a householder. Generally such situations occur in the material world. Therefore according to Vedic culture one has to take leave of his family members just after his fiftieth year so that the balance of his life may be completely devoted in search of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
This verse highlights that an ideal king is saintly in conduct (śīla-nidhi), devoted to protecting brāhmaṇas and Vedic principles (brahmaṇya), and great-souled (mahātmā).
Vidura is probing an apparent contradiction in the narrative: a ruler endowed with dharmic qualities should uplift society, so he asks what circumstance caused the subjects’ degradation and the king’s dejection.
Even good leadership must be supported by education, culture, and personal responsibility; otherwise, social character can decline despite a leader’s integrity.