Shloka 87
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
षडेते हावमन्यन्ते नित्यं पूर्वोपकारिणम् । आचार्य शिक्षिता: शिष्या: कृतदाराश्ष मातरम्
ṣaḍ ete hāvamanyante nityaṁ pūrvopakāriṇam | ācārya-śikṣitāḥ śiṣyāḥ kṛta-dārāś ca mātaram ||
Vidura said: Six kinds of people habitually show contempt for one who once helped them. Students, once taught, disregard their teacher; and sons, once married and settled, neglect their mother. The verse points to a recurring moral failure: gratitude fades when dependence ends, and dharma requires honoring benefactors even after one’s need has passed.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is kṛtajñatā (gratitude): one must not dishonor those who previously helped—especially teachers and parents—merely because one has become independent. Forgetting benefactors is presented as a common but blameworthy human tendency opposed to dharma.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel (nīti) in the tense lead-up to war. Here he illustrates a general ethical pattern by listing types of people who often neglect earlier benefactors, warning against such ingratitude as a sign of moral decline.