Shloka 50
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
क्षमा वशीकृतिलेोंके क्षमया कि न साध्यते । शान्तिखड्ग: करे यस्य कि करिष्यति दुर्जन:
kṣamā vaśīkṛtir loke kṣamayā kiṁ na sādhyate | śānti-khaḍgaḥ kare yasya kiṁ kariṣyati durjanaḥ ||
Vidura said: “Forbearance is a power of winning hearts in this world. What cannot be accomplished through forgiveness? When one holds in hand the sword of peace, what can a wicked person truly do to him?”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Forgiveness (kṣamā) is presented as a superior moral force: it wins people over, accomplishes difficult aims, and protects the practitioner. Inner peace functions like a ‘sword’—a decisive strength that leaves malice powerless.
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, Vidura instructs on statecraft and right conduct as tensions move toward war. Here he urges the cultivation of forgiveness and peace as the most effective response to hostility and wickedness.