Shloka 21
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
प्रसादं कुरु वीराणां पाण्डवानां विशाम्पते । दीयन्तां ग्रामका: केचित् तेषां वृत्त्यर्थमी श्वर,राजन! आप समर्थ हैं, वीर पाण्डवोंपर कृपा कीजिये और उनकी जीविकाके लिये कुछ गाँव दे दीजिये
prasādaṃ kuru vīrāṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ viśāmpate | dīyantāṃ grāmakāḥ kecit teṣāṃ vṛttyartham īśvara rājan |
Vidura urges the king to show gracious favor to the heroic Pāṇḍavas: as a just ruler and master of the realm, he should grant them at least a few villages so they may sustain their livelihood. The appeal frames reconciliation as a royal duty—an ethical act of restraint and generosity that can avert a larger conflict.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes compassionate restraint and fair provision: even a minimal, practical concession (a few villages for livelihood) can uphold justice and prevent catastrophic war.
Vidura addresses the king, urging him to appease the Pāṇḍavas by granting them some villages for maintenance—an attempt to secure peace and avert escalation toward open conflict.