Shloka 82

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

अर्थागमो नित्यमरोगिता च प्रिया च भार्या प्रियवादिनी च । वश्यश्न पुत्रो$र्थकरी च विद्या षड़्‌ जीवलोकस्य सुखानि राजन्‌

Transliteration

arthāgamo nityam arogitā ca priyā ca bhāryā priyavādinī ca | vaśyaś ca putro 'rthakarī ca vidyā ṣaḍ jīvalokasya sukhāni rājan ||

Translation

Vidura said: “O King, these six are counted as the true comforts of life in this human world: the steady acquisition of wealth; continual freedom from illness; a beloved wife who is agreeable and speaks kindly; an obedient son who remains under discipline; and learning that becomes a source of prosperity.”

Word by Word

• {'arthāgamaḥ': 'arrival/acquisition of wealth, gain of resources', 'nityam': 'always, continually', 'arogitā': 'health, freedom from disease', 'priyā': 'dear, beloved', 'bhāryā': 'wife', 'priyavādinī': 'one who speaks pleasantly

• kind-spoken', 'vaśyaḥ': 'obedient, under control, compliant', 'putraḥ': 'son', 'arthakarī': 'wealth-producing, beneficial, profitable', 'vidyā': 'knowledge, learning, education', 'ṣaṭ': 'six', 'jīvalokaḥ': 'the world of living beings

• human realm', 'sukhāni': 'happinesses, comforts', 'rājan': 'O king'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Rājan (the king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura defines practical, dharma-aligned sources of worldly happiness: prosperity gained steadily, good health, harmonious and kind speech within marriage, disciplined children, and education that yields material and moral benefit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) with ethical and pragmatic guidance, listing the six conditions that make life stable and contented amid the political crisis leading toward war.