Shloka 50

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ९३: कृष्णस्य धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः

Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the Assembly

Devanagari script

विदुरो मणिपीठे तु शुक्लस्पर्ध्याजिनोत्तरे

Transliteration

viduro maṇipīṭhe tu śuklaspardhyājinottare

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Vidura, seated upon a jeweled throne and clad in a spotless, white, deer-skin garment, appeared in a posture of austere dignity—signaling a life guided by restraint and moral clarity amid the court’s rising tensions.

Word by Word

• विदुरः: Vidura
• विदुरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदुर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मणिपीठे: on the jeweled seat/throne
• मणिपीठे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिपीठ
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• शुक्लस्पर्ध्याजिनोत्तरे: on the upper (covering) of a hide/skin comparable to white (in brightness)
• शुक्लस्पर्ध्याजिनोत्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्लस्पर्ध्याजिनोत्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• maṇipīṭha (jeweled seat/throne)
• ajina (deer-skin garment)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses Vidura’s outward simplicity (ascetic deer-skin) set against royal splendor (jeweled seat) to underscore inner purity and ethical authority within political power—suggesting that true counsel is grounded in restraint and dharma, not mere status.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Vidura’s appearance and setting in the Kuru court: he is seated on a jeweled seat while wearing an excellent white deer-skin garment, preparing the scene for his role as a morally serious advisor during the tense pre-war deliberations.