Shloka 58
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
ततो बाहू समुच्छित्य निवार्य च सभासद: । विदुर: सर्वधर्मज्ञ इदं वचनमत्रवीत्
tato bāhū samucchitya nivārya ca sabhāsadaḥ | viduraḥ sarvadharmajña idaṃ vacanam atravīt ||
Then, raising his arms and restraining the members of the royal assembly, Vidura—knower of all dharma—spoke these words.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a community or court is swept by passion and faction, dharma requires restraint and principled speech. Vidura’s act of physically checking the assembly before speaking highlights that ethical counsel must sometimes begin by stopping harmful momentum.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Vidura, seeing agitation in the assembly, raises his arms to halt and restrain the courtiers, and then begins to address them—signaling an impending admonition grounded in dharma.