Shloka 18
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
स पुत्रपशुभिर्व॑द्धि श्रेयश्वानन्त्यम श्षुते । जो अपने कुट॒म्बी, दरिद्र, दीन तथा रोगीपर अनुग्रह करता है, वह पुत्र और पशुओंसे वृद्धिको प्राप्त होता और अनन्त कल्याणका अनुभव करता है ।।
sa putrapaśubhir vṛddhiṁ śreyaś cānantyam aśnute | yo 'sya kuṭumbī daridro dīnaś ca rogī ca anugṛhṇāti sa putrapaśubhir vṛddhiṁ prāpnoti ānantya-kalyāṇaṁ cānubhavati || jñātayo vardhanīyās tair ya icchanty ātmanaḥ śubham ||
Vidura teaches that one who shows compassionate support to those dependent on him—his household members, the poor, the helpless, and the sick—gains increase in children and livestock and comes to experience enduring welfare. Therefore, those who seek their own good should nurture and strengthen their kinsmen.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura states that compassionate care for one’s dependents—especially the poor, helpless, and sick—brings tangible prosperity (increase of family and resources) and also lasting welfare; hence, nurturing one’s relatives is itself a form of self-benefit grounded in dharma.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is instructing the Kuru court (as part of his moral counsel) on righteous conduct and practical ethics, emphasizing household responsibility and the duty to support kin and vulnerable people as a foundation for stability and well-being.