Shloka 12
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
न राज्यं प्राप्तमित्येव वर्तितव्यमसाम्प्रतम् । श्रियं हविनयो हन्ति जरा रूपमिवोत्तमम्
na rājyaṃ prāptam ity eva vartitavyam asāmpratam | śriyaṃ hīnāvinayo hanti jarā rūpam ivottamam ||
Vidura says: “One should not go on living with the thought, ‘I have not obtained the kingdom.’ Such undisciplined lack of humility destroys prosperity, just as old age ruins even the finest beauty.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not let grievance over not gaining power govern your conduct; lack of humility and discipline corrodes prosperity and standing, just as aging inevitably diminishes even great beauty.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral-political counsel amid the tense pre-war negotiations, warning against resentful fixation on kingship and urging disciplined, humble conduct as the basis of lasting fortune.