Shloka 10
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
यः प्रमाणं न जानाति स्थाने वृद्धौँ तथा क्षये । कोशे जनपदे दण्डे न स राज्येडवतिषछते,जो राजा स्थिति, लाभ, हानि, खजाना, देश तथा दण्ड आदिकी मात्राको नहीं जानता, वह राज्यपर स्थिर नहीं रह सकता
yaḥ pramāṇaṁ na jānāti sthāne vṛddhau tathā kṣaye | kośe janapade daṇḍe na sa rājye 'vatiṣṭhate ||
Vidura says: A king who does not understand proper measure and proportion—what is fitting in stability, in growth, and in decline; in the treasury, in the realm and its people, and in the use of punishment—cannot remain firmly established in sovereignty. Ethical rule requires calibrated judgment: knowing when to conserve, when to expand, and when to restrain through just discipline.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must have pramāṇa—sound judgment of proper limits and proportion—in prosperity and decline, finance, public welfare, and punishment; without this calibrated discernment, stable rule is impossible.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers counsel on righteous governance and practical statecraft; here he warns that ignorance of proportionate policy in resources, people, and discipline undermines a king’s ability to hold the kingdom.