Shloka 12
अध्याय ६४ — सभामध्ये क्रोध-निवारणम्
Restraint of wrath in the royal assembly
विदुर उवाच एतावता पुरुष ये त्यजन्ति तेषां वृत्तं साक्षिवद् ब्रूहि राजन् । राज्ञां हि चित्तानि परिप्लुतानि सान्त्वं दत्त्वा मुसलैर्घातयन्ति,विदुरने कहा--राजन्! जो इस प्रकार मनके प्रतिकूल किंतु हितभरी शिक्षा देनेमात्रसे अपने हितैषी पुरुषको त्याग देते हैं, उनका वह बर्ताव कैसा है, यह आप साक्षीकी भाँति पक्षपातरहित होकर बताइये; क्योंकि राजाओंके चित्त द्वेषसे भरे होते हैं, इसलिये वे सामने मीठे वचनोंद्वारा सान्त्वना देकर पीठ-पीछे मूसलोंसे आघात करवाते हैं
vidura uvāca | etāvatā puruṣā ye tyajanti teṣāṁ vṛttaṁ sākṣivad brūhi rājan | rājñāṁ hi cittāni pariplutāni sāntvaṁ dattvā musalair ghātayanti ||
Vidura said: “O King, those men who abandon a well-wisher merely for offering such counsel—unpleasant to the mind yet beneficial—tell me, like an impartial witness, what sort of conduct is that. For the hearts of kings are often flooded with hostility: they soothe a man with sweet words to his face, and then have him struck down from behind with clubs.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not reject a well-wisher merely because his advice is unpleasant; ethical counsel may sting but aims at welfare. Vidura also warns that rulers driven by hostility may use outward appeasement while plotting harm, so one must judge conduct by integrity, not flattery.
Vidura addresses the king and asks him to judge, impartially, the behavior of those who abandon a counselor for giving beneficial but disagreeable instruction. He then characterizes a common royal failing: offering soothing words publicly while arranging a violent attack privately.