Shloka 41
Vidura Leaves Hastināpura and Meets Uddhava
Vidura’s Tīrtha-yātrā Begins
सौम्यानुशोचे तमध:पतन्तं भ्रात्रे परेताय विदुद्रुहे य: । निर्यापितो येन सुहृत्स्वपुर्या अहं स्वपुत्रान् समनुव्रतेन ॥ ४१ ॥
saumyānuśoce tam adhaḥ-patantaṁ bhrātre paretāya vidudruhe yaḥ niryāpito yena suhṛt sva-puryā ahaṁ sva-putrān samanuvratena
O gentle one, I lament for Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who is falling into ruin because he betrayed his brother even after his brother’s passing. Following the course taken by his own sons, he drove me—his sincere well-wisher—out from my own home and city.
Vidura did not ask about the welfare of his elder brother because there was no chance of his well-being, only news of his gliding down to hell. Vidura was a sincere well-wisher for Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and he had a thought about him in the corner of his heart. He lamented that Dhṛtarāṣṭra could rebel against the sons of his dead brother Pāṇḍu and that he could drive him (Vidura) out of his own house on the dictation of his crooked sons. In spite of these actions, Vidura never became an enemy of Dhṛtarāṣṭra but continued to be his well-wisher, and at the last stage of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s life, it was Vidura only who proved to be his real friend. Such is the behavior of a Vaiṣṇava like Vidura: he desires all good, even for his enemies.
FAQs
This verse states that one who acts treacherously toward close family—especially a brother—falls into a degraded condition (adhaḥ-patantam), implying inevitable karmic decline.
She recalls how Duryodhana’s wrongdoing led to the Kuru family’s ruin and how she, despite being a faithful wife, had to leave the city along with her sons as the consequences unfolded.
Adharma—especially betrayal and injustice—destroys relationships and leads to personal downfall; integrity and accountability are essential to avoid long-term suffering.