Shloka 28
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
नेदृशं बन्धुमासाद्य बान्धव: सुखमेधते । जिस दुर्बल मनुष्यका शत्रुपक्षेके लोग अभिनन्दन करते हों
nedṛśaṃ bandhum āsādya bāndhavaḥ sukham edhate |
Having obtained a kinsman of such a sort, one’s relatives do not truly prosper in happiness. A weak man whom even the enemy’s party applauds, who is despised by all, whose seat and clothing are of the lowest kind, who is amazed and content with the smallest gain, and who lives in every way inferior, petty, and mean-spirited—such a ‘relative’ becomes a cause of shame and distress rather than support; therefore his own kin do not flourish through him.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A family’s welfare depends not merely on having relatives, but on their character and conduct. An unworthy, servile, and contemptible kinsman—content with paltry gains and lacking dignity—brings no real support or happiness to his own people.
Vāyudeva is describing, in admonitory terms, the kind of person whose presence as a ‘relative’ becomes a liability. The verse functions as a moral characterization within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, where virtues and failings are weighed before decisive action.