Shloka 40
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 34 — Vidura’s Counsel on Deliberation, Speech-Discipline, and Dharmic Kingship
न देवा दण्डमादाय रक्षन्ति पशुपालवत् | यं तु रक्षितुमिच्छन्ति बुद्धया संविभजन्ति तम्,देवतालोग चरवाहोंकी तरह डंडा लेकर किसीका पहरा नहीं देते। वे जिसकी रक्षा करना चाहते हैं, उसे उत्तम बुद्धिसे युक्त कर देते हैं
na devā daṇḍam ādāya rakṣanti paśupālavat | yaṃ tu rakṣitum icchanti buddhyā saṃvibhajanti tam ||
The gods do not stand guard over anyone with a staff like cattle-herdsmen. Rather, whom they wish to protect, they endow with discerning intelligence—so that by right judgment he safeguards himself and chooses the proper course.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine protection is primarily internal: the gods safeguard a person not by external force, but by granting buddhi (discriminating intelligence), through which one chooses dharmic action and avoids ruin.
Vidura is offering moral counsel in the Udyoga Parva context, emphasizing that true security for a ruler or individual comes from sound judgment and ethical discernment rather than reliance on mere coercion or external guardianship.