Shloka 9
Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 62 — Duryodhana’s Claim of Victory and Vidura’s Allegories on Discord and Risk
विदुर उवाच इह निःश्रेयसं प्राहुर्वद्धा निश्चितदर्शिन: । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण दमो धर्म: सनातन:,विदुरने कहा--सिद्धान्तके जाननेवाले वृद्ध पुरुष कहते हैं कि इस संसारमें दम ही कल्याणका परम साधन है। ब्राह्मणके लिये तो विशेषरूपसे है। वही सनातनधर्म है
vidura uvāca | iha niḥśreyasaṁ prāhur vṛddhā niścita-darśinaḥ | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa damo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Vidura said: In this world, the aged—those of settled and discerning vision—declare that self-restraint is the highest means to true welfare. For a brāhmaṇa in particular, self-control is the eternal form of dharma.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dama—self-restraint and mastery over the senses and mind—is the foremost means to niḥśreyasa (true welfare). It emphasizes that for a brāhmaṇa, self-control is not optional but the very essence of eternal dharma.
In Udyoga Parva, as war approaches, Vidura offers moral counsel (nīti) to guide conduct amid rising conflict. Here he cites the authority of wise elders to stress that inner discipline, especially for those tasked with upholding dharma, is the foundation of right action.