Shloka 6
अौर्ध्वदेहिक-श्राद्धे दानयज्ञविस्तारः | Expansion of the Aurdhvadehika Śrāddha and the Donation-Rite
विदुर: किमवस्थकश्ष भ्रातु: शुश्रूषुरात्मवान् | स च गावल्गणिथर्थीमान् भर्तृपिण्डानुपालक:
viduraḥ kim-avasthakaś ca bhrātuḥ śuśrūṣur ātmavān | sa ca gāvalgaṇir arthīmān bhartṛ-piṇḍānupālakaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “In what condition might Vidura be—steadfast and self-controlled, ever devoted to serving his brother? And how, too, might Sañjaya be—wise and purposeful—who has been guarding and sustaining his lord’s very body?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed as steadfast service and responsible care: Vidura’s disciplined devotion to his brother and Sañjaya’s vigilant guardianship of his lord’s body exemplify ethical duty after the upheaval of war—sustaining relationships, protecting the vulnerable, and acting with self-control.
The narrator raises concerned questions about the present condition of Vidura and Sañjaya—two close attendants of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—emphasizing their roles: Vidura as the devoted brother-servant and Sañjaya as the wise caretaker who looks after his master’s physical well-being during the forest-dwelling phase of the elders.