Shloka 28

Devanagari script

कुलानि समुपेतानि गोभि: पुरुषतो<र्थतः । कुलसंख्यां न गच्छन्ति यानि हीनानि वृत्तत:,गौओं, मनुष्यों और धनसे सम्पन्न होकर भी जो कुल सदाचारसे हीन हैं, वे अच्छे कुलोंकी गणनामें नहीं आ सकते

Transliteration

kulāni samupetāni gobhiḥ puruṣato'rthataḥ | kulasaṅkhyāṃ na gacchanti yāni hīnāni vṛttataḥ ||

Translation

Vidura says: “Even if a family is well supplied with cattle, men, and wealth, it does not earn a place among truly noble lineages if it is deficient in right conduct. Without ethical discipline and good behavior, prosperity and numbers cannot confer genuine respectability.”

Word by Word

कुलानिfamilies, lineages

समुपेतानिendowed with, possessed of

गोभिःwith cows

पुरुषतःin respect of men/people (from the side of men)

अर्थतःin respect of wealth (from the side of wealth)

कुलसंख्याम्the count/rank of (good) families

नnot

गच्छन्तिgo, attain, are counted

यानिwhich (families)

हीनानिdevoid of, lacking

वृत्ततःin conduct/behavior (from the standpoint of conduct)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

kula (lineage/family)

go (cows/cattle)

puruṣa (men/people)

artha (wealth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True nobility of a lineage is determined by vṛtta (ethical conduct), not by external assets like cattle, manpower, or wealth; prosperity without sadācāra does not qualify a family as genuinely ‘good’ or respectable.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, Vidura instructs the Kuru court on dharma and statecraft; here he emphasizes that social honor and ‘good family’ status rest on moral behavior rather than material abundance.