Shloka 91
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
ईर्ष्या करनेवाला, घृणा करनेवाला, असंतोषी, क्रोधी, सदा शंकित रहनेवाला और दूसरेके भाग्यपर जीवन-निर्वाह करनेवाला--ये छ: सदा दु:खी रहते हैं ।। सप्त दोषा: सदा राज्ञा हातव्या व्यसनोदया: । प्रायशो यैर्विनश्यन्ति कृतमूला अपीश्वरा:,सत्रीविषयक आसक्ति, जूआ, शिकार, मद्यपान, वचनकी कठोरता, अत्यन्त कठोर दण्ड देना और धनका दुरुपयोग करना--ये सात दुःखदायी दोष राजाको सदा त्याग देने चाहिये। इनसे दृढ़मूल राजा भी प्राय: नष्ट हो जाते हैं
vidura uvāca | īrṣyāluḥ dveṣī asaṃtuṣṭaḥ krodhī nityaśaṅkī parabhāgyopajīvī ca—ete ṣaṭ sadā duḥkhitā bhavanti || sapta doṣāḥ sadā rājñā hātavyā vyasanodayāḥ | prāyaśo yair vinaśyanti kṛtamūlā apīśvarāḥ || strīviṣayāsaktiḥ dyūtaṃ mṛgayā madyaṃ vākkāṭhinyaṃ daṇḍapāruṣyaṃ dhanasya durvyayaś ca—ime sapta duḥkhadāyino doṣā rājñā sadā parityājyāḥ | etaiḥ dṛḍhamūlā api rājānaḥ prāyaśo vinaśyanti ||
Vidura said: The envious, the hateful, the discontented, the wrathful, the ever-suspicious, and the one who lives by depending on another’s fortune—these six are always unhappy. A king should always abandon seven fault-born addictions that breed calamity, by which even rulers firmly established in power are commonly ruined: obsession with women and sensuality, gambling, hunting, drinking intoxicants, harshness of speech, excessive severity in punishment, and the misuse or reckless expenditure of wealth.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that inner vices inevitably generate suffering, and that rulers in particular must renounce specific addictions—sensual obsession, gambling, hunting, intoxication, harsh speech, cruel punishment, and misuse of wealth—because these destroy even well-established kings.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers counsel on statecraft and moral discipline. Here he warns the kingly audience that certain character flaws and courtly addictions lead to personal misery and political ruin, framing ethical self-restraint as essential to stable rule.