Shloka 83
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
षण्णामात्मनि नित्यानामैश्वर्य योडथिगच्छति । न स पापै: कुतो<नर्थर्युज्यते विजितेन्द्रिय:
ṣaṇṇām ātmani nityānām aiśvaryaṃ yo ’dhigacchati | na sa pāpaiḥ kuto ’narthair yujyate vijitendriyaḥ ||
Vidura says: The self-controlled person who conquers the six ever-abiding inner foes—desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, and envy—is not tainted by sin at all; how then could he be ensnared in the misfortunes and harms that arise from those sins?
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mastery over the six inner enemies (desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, envy) is the foundation of ethical life: when the senses are conquered, sin does not cling, and therefore the downstream harms born of sin also cannot bind a person.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral and political counsel (nīti) during the tense pre-war negotiations. Here he emphasizes inner discipline as the root of faultless conduct, implying that true safety and well-being come from self-mastery rather than external power.