Shloka 43
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
विनयभाव अपयशका नाश करता है, पराक्रम अनर्थको दूर करता है, क्षमा सदा ही क्रोधका नाश करती है और सदाचार कुलक्षणका अन्त करता है ।। परिच्छदेन क्षेत्रेण वेश्मना परिचर्यया । परीक्षेत कुलं राजन् भोजनाच्छादनेन च,राजन! नाना प्रकारके परिच्छद-, माता, घर, सेवा-शुश्रूषा और भोजन तथा वस्त्रके द्वारा कुलकी परीक्षा करे
vinayabhāva apayaśakā nāśa kartā hai, parākrama anarthako dūra kartā hai, kṣamā sadā hī krodhakā nāśa kartī hai aura sadācāra kula-kṣaṇakā anta kartā hai. || paricchadena kṣetreṇa veśmanā paricaryayā | parīkṣeta kulaṁ rājan bhojanācchādanena ca ||
Vidura teaches that humility destroys disgrace, valor drives away calamity, forgiveness always extinguishes anger, and good conduct brings an end to a family’s bad marks. He then advises the king that a family’s true quality should be tested not by claims but by practical signs—its furnishings and equipment, its land, its house, its manner of service and attendance, and also by its food and clothing.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura links inner virtues to social outcomes: humility prevents dishonor, valor removes dangers, forgiveness ends anger, and sustained good conduct corrects a family’s blemishes. He also teaches practical discernment—judge a household’s true standing by observable conduct and stewardship (home, land, service, food, clothing), not by mere reputation.
In Vidura’s counsel to the king during the tense pre-war diplomacy of the Udyoga Parva, he offers ethical instruction and statecraft: cultivating virtues for stability, and advising how a ruler should assess families/lineages through concrete indicators of order, hospitality, and disciplined living.