Shloka 16
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
विदुर उवाच (राजा लक्षणसम्पन्नस्त्रैलोक्यस्याधिपो भवेत् । प्रेष्यस्ते प्रेषितश्वैव धृतराष्ट्र युधिष्ठिर: ।।
vidura uvāca |
rājā lakṣaṇasampannastrailokyasyādhipo bhavet |
preṣyaste preṣitaścaiva dhṛtarāṣṭra yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Vidura said: “O King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Yudhiṣṭhira is endowed with the marks of an ideal ruler; such a king becomes, as it were, lord of the three worlds. He is both your devoted servant and one who acts only when sent—yet you have treated him as an adversary.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura asserts that legitimate sovereignty rests on virtues and auspicious royal qualities; a ruler should recognize and honor dharmic excellence (embodied by Yudhiṣṭhira) rather than alienate it through partiality or misjudgment.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and counsel, Vidura admonishes King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out that Yudhiṣṭhira remains loyal and dutiful, and that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s stance against him is ethically and politically self-defeating.