Shloka 22
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
“महाबाहो! आजसे पितरोंके पिण्डका, सुयशका और इस कुलका भार भी तुम्हारे ही ऊपर है। पुत्र! आज या कल अवश्य चले जाओ; विलम्ब न करना ।।
mahābāho! ājasa pitṝṇāṁ piṇḍakā, suyāśasā ca, asya kulasya bhāro 'pi tavaiva upari. putra! āja vā śvaḥ avasyaṁ calāhi; vilambaṁ mā kṛthāḥ. nīti-rājñītiḥ bahuśaḥ śrutā te, bharatarṣabha; sandeṣṭavyaṁ na paśyāmi, kṛtaṁ me bhavatā vibho.
“O mighty-armed one! From this very day, the duty of offering the ancestral oblations, the safeguarding of your good fame, and the responsibility of this lineage all rest upon you alone. My son, you must depart—today or tomorrow without fail; do not delay. You have heard political and royal counsel many times, O bull among the Bharatas; I see nothing further that needs to be instructed. You have already done what was required for me, O lord.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as inherited responsibility: maintaining ancestral rites (piṇḍa/śrāddha), protecting one’s reputation, and carrying the burden of the lineage. It also implies that true instruction culminates in timely action—once counsel is received, delay becomes a moral failure.
A senior voice urges a younger hero/prince to depart promptly, declaring that from now on the obligations of the family—ritual, honor, and governance—rest on him. The speaker notes that the addressee has already heard statecraft repeatedly and has fulfilled what was needed, so no further instruction remains.