Shloka 1
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरनीतिः (Adhyāya 37): आयुःक्षयहेतवः, नीतिसूत्राणि, बलभेदाः, पाण्डव-विग्रहदोषदर्शनम्
भीकम (2 अमान अष्टात्रेशो5 ध्याय: विदुरजीका नीतियुक्त उपदेश विदुर उवाच ऊर्ध्व प्राणा ह्ुत्क्रामन्ति यून: स्थविर आयति । प्रत्युत्थानाभिवादा भ्यां पुनस्तान् प्रतिपद्यते,विदुरजी कहते हैं--राजन्! जब कोई (माननीय) वृद्ध पुरुष निकट आता है, उस समय नवयुवक व्यक्तिके प्राण ऊपरको उठने लगते हैं; फिर जब वह वृद्धके स्वागतमें उठकर खड़ा होता और प्रणाम करता है, तब प्राणोंको पुनः वास्तविक स्थितिमें प्राप्त करता है
Vidura uvāca | ūrdhvaṁ prāṇā hy utkrāmanti yūnaḥ sthavira āyati | pratyutthānābhivādābhyāṁ punas tān pratipadyate ||
Vidura said: “O King, when a venerable elder approaches, the life-breaths of a young man seem to rise upward in agitation. But when he stands up to receive the elder and offers respectful salutation, those life-breaths return again to their proper, steady state.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Proper etiquette toward elders—standing up to receive them and offering respectful salutation—is not mere formality; it restores inner composure and reflects dharma (nīti) through humility and reverence.
In Vidura’s ethical counsel to the king, he illustrates how a young person becomes inwardly unsettled when a venerable elder arrives, and how that agitation is resolved by performing the culturally prescribed acts of greeting: rising to welcome and bowing in respect.