Shloka 21
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
यथाशक्ति चिकीर्षन्ति यथाशक्ति च कुर्वते । न किंचिदवमन्यन्ते नरा: पण्डितबुद्धय:
yathāśakti cikīrṣanti yathāśakti ca kurvate | na kiñcid avamanyante narāḥ paṇḍitabuddhayaḥ ||
Vidura said: “Wise men, endowed with discerning intellect, first intend what is to be done according to their capacity, and then carry it out according to that same capacity. They do not belittle anything.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom is to plan and act in proportion to one’s real capacity (yathāśakti) and to avoid contempt. Ethical action requires humility and accurate self-assessment rather than pride or unrealistic ambition.
In Vidura’s counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations of the Udyoga Parva, he articulates principles of prudent conduct—how the wise deliberate and act without arrogance—aimed at guiding rulers toward responsible, non-contemptuous decision-making.