Shloka 105
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
जानाति विश्वासयितुं मनुष्यान् विज्ञातदोषेषु दधाति दण्डम् | जानाति मात्रां च तथा क्षमां च त॑ तादृशं श्रीर्जुषते समग्रा
jānāti viśvāsayituṁ manuṣyān vijñātadoṣeṣu dadhāti daṇḍam | jānāti mātrāṁ ca tathā kṣamāṁ ca taṁ tādṛśaṁ śrīr juṣate samagrā ||
Vidura says: “The ruler who knows how to inspire trust among people, who punishes only those whose guilt has been clearly established, and who understands both the proper measure of punishment and the timely use of forgiveness—such a king is naturally served by complete prosperity.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Good governance rests on three skills: building public trust, punishing only when guilt is proven, and calibrating justice with proportion and mercy. Prosperity follows a ruler who balances daṇḍa (discipline) with kṣamā (clemency).
In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he outlines qualities of an ideal ruler for a tense political moment: legitimacy through trust, fairness through evidence-based punishment, and stability through measured severity tempered by forgiveness.