Shloka 20
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
विगुणा हाूपि संरक्ष्या ज्ञासयों भरतर्षभ । कि पुनर्गुणवन्तस्ते त्वत्प्रसादाभिकाड्क्षिण:
viguṇā hāpi saṃrakṣyā jñāsayo bharatarṣabha | ki punarguṇavantaste tvatprasādābhikāṅkṣiṇaḥ ||
Vidura said: “O bull among the Bharatas, even one’s own kinsmen should be protected though they be without merit. How much more, then, should those who are virtuous and who look to your favor and protection be cared for?”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (and any householder) must protect dependents and relatives even if they lack virtues; therefore, the obligation is even stronger toward virtuous people who seek one’s patronage. The verse argues from the lesser duty to the greater (ki punar).
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the Kuru elder (addressed as Bharatarṣabha) on righteous conduct and statecraft. Here he urges protective responsibility toward one’s own people, reinforcing the ethical basis for just governance amid rising conflict.