Shloka 96
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
अष्टाविमानि हर्षस्य नवनीतानि भारत | वर्तमानानि दृश्यन्ते तान्येव स्वसुखान्यपि
aṣṭāv imāni harṣasya navanītāni bhārata | vartamānāni dṛśyante tāny eva svasukhāny api bhārata ||
Vidura said: “O Bhārata, eight things are seen in this world as the very ‘butter’—the choicest essence—of joy; and these same things also become the means of one’s ordinary worldly happiness: meeting with friends, gaining greater wealth, embracing a son, engaging in sexual union, speaking pleasing words at the proper time, advancement among one’s own social group, obtaining a desired object, and receiving honor in public society.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura identifies eight commonly observed sources of joy and notes that they also function as practical means to worldly happiness—highlighting how social bonds, family affection, measured pleasure, timely kind speech, and public esteem shape human well-being.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura is counseling the Kuru elder (addressed as ‘Bhārata’) with ethical and pragmatic reflections; here he lists the principal worldly factors that people experience as the ‘essence’ of joy.