Shloka 69
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 34 — Vidura’s Counsel on Deliberation, Speech-Discipline, and Dharmic Kingship
जीर्णमन्नं प्रशंसन्ति भार्या च गतयौवनाम् । शूरं विजितसंग्रामं गतपारं तपस्विनम्,सज्जन पुरुष पच जानेपर अन्नकी, (निष्कलंक) यौवन बीत जानेपर स्त्रीकी, संग्राम जीत लेनेपर शूरकी और संसारसागरको पार कर लेनेपर तपस्वीकी प्रशंसा करते हैं
jīrṇam annaṁ praśaṁsanti bhāryāṁ ca gatayauvanām | śūraṁ vijitasaṅgrāmaṁ gatapāraṁ tapasvinam ||
Vidura observes a worldly pattern of praise: people commend food only when it has grown stale, a wife only after her youth has passed, a hero only after he has already won his battles, and an ascetic only after he has crossed to the far shore—having completed the arduous passage of life and discipline. The ethical sting is that society often withholds honor until usefulness, beauty, or struggle is already behind someone; praise arrives late, when it costs nothing, rather than as timely recognition that supports dharma in the present.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes delayed appreciation: people often praise only after value has faded or the struggle is already over. Vidura implies that true dharmic conduct is to recognize and honor merit, effort, and virtue in time—when encouragement and respect can actually support right action.
In Vidura’s counsel (vidura-nīti) within the Udyoga Parva, he offers sharp observations about human behavior and courtly society. Here he lists examples—stale food, an aged wife, a battle-worn victor, and an ascetic who has ‘crossed over’—to show how praise is commonly postponed until it is safe, conventional, or costless.