Shloka 20
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
कायर! तेरे इष्ट और आपूर्त कर्म नष्ट हो गये, सारी कीर्ति धूलमें मिल गयी और भोगका मूल साधन राज्य भी छिन गया, अब तू किसलिये जी रहा है? ।।
śatrur nimajjata grāhyo jaḍghāyāṃ prapatiṣyatā | viparicchinnam amūlo 'pi na viṣīdet kathaṃcana ||
Vāyu said: “O coward! Your iṣṭa and pūrta—your meritorious rites and gifts—are destroyed; all your fame has turned to dust; and the kingdom, the very root of enjoyment, has been taken from you. For what do you live now? An enemy, even as he sinks, should be seized; even as he slips and is about to fall, he should be struck at the thigh. Though cut off from support and seemingly rootless, one should not sink into despair in any way.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges unwavering resolve: even when circumstances are broken and support seems lost, one should not collapse into despair; in conflict, one must act decisively rather than hesitate.
Vāyu addresses a person in a crisis of defeat and loss, pressing him toward firmness and action, framing the moment as a test of courage and duty rather than a reason for self-pity.