Shloka 7
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
जो वृद्धि भविष्यमें नाशका कारण बने, उसे अधिक महत्त्व नहीं देना चाहिये और उस क्षयका भी बहुत आदर करना चाहिये, जो आगे चलकर अभ्युदयका कारण हो ।।
vidura uvāca | na sa kṣayo mahārāja yaḥ kṣayo vṛddhim āvahet | kṣayaḥ sa tv iha mantavyo yaṁ labdhvā bahu nāśayet ||
Vidura said: “O King, that is not truly ‘loss’ which, though it appears as loss, brings about future increase. Rather, in this world one should regard as ‘loss’ even that gain which, once obtained, destroys many other benefits. Therefore, do not prize a growth that will become the cause of ruin, and do not despise a diminution that will later become the cause of prosperity.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Evaluate ‘gain’ and ‘loss’ by their long-term consequences: a present loss that leads to future welfare is not real loss, while a present gain that destroys greater goods is effectively loss.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) with practical dharma and political wisdom, urging him to judge choices not by immediate profit but by whether they preserve or ruin lasting prosperity and righteousness.