Shloka 12
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
सदोष॑ दर्शन येषां संवासे सुमहद् भयम् | अर्थादाने महान् दोष: प्रदाने च महद् भसम्
sadoṣa-darśanā yeṣāṁ saṁvāse sumahad bhayam | arthādāne mahān doṣaḥ pradāne ca mahad bhayam ||
Vidura says: Those whose very presence is tainted, and whose company brings great danger—people absorbed in slandering others, eager to cause pain and to sow division—bring grave fault upon one who accepts wealth from them; and giving to them is likewise fraught with great fear and peril.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should be vigilant about moral contagion: association with malicious, divisive people is dangerous, and financial dealings with them—whether taking or giving—carry ethical fault and practical peril.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers counsel on righteous conduct (nīti), warning about the risks of keeping company with harmful persons and the consequences of engaging with their wealth.