Shloka 13
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
ये वै भेदनशीलास्तु सकामा निस्त्रपा: शठा: । ये पापा इति विख्याता: संवासे परिगर्लहिता:
ye vai bhedanaśīlāstu sakāmā nistrapāḥ śaṭhāḥ | ye pāpā iti vikhyātāḥ saṃvāse parigarhitāḥ ||
Vidura says: Those whose very nature is to create divisions, who are driven by lust, shameless, and deceitful—those notorious as sinners—are condemned as unfit to be kept in one’s company.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not keep close company with people who habitually create divisions and are ruled by lust, shamelessness, and deceit; such association is morally censured and socially harmful.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura is offering moral and political counsel; here he warns about the danger of living closely with divisive and corrupt individuals, emphasizing prudent association as part of righteous conduct.