Shloka 12

विदुर-धृतराष्ट्रसंवादः

Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Dialogue on Rajadharma and Restitution

Devanagari script

विदुर उवाच अवोचन्मां धृतराष्ट्रो ईनुगुप्त- मजातशत्रो परिगृह्माभिपूज्य । एवं गते समतामभ्युपेत्य पथ्य॑ तेषां मम चैव ब्रवीहि,विदुरजी बोले--अजातशत्रो! राजा धृतराष्ट्रने मुझे अपना रक्षक समझकर बुलाया और मेरा आदर करके कहा--“विदुर! आजकी परिस्थितिमें समभाव रखकर तुम ऐसा कोई उपाय बताओ जो मेरे और पाण्डवोंके लिये हितकर हो”

Transliteration

vidura uvāca | avocan māṃ dhṛtarāṣṭro 'nuguptaṃ ajātaśatro parigṛhya abhipūjya | evaṃ gate samatām abhyupetya pathyaṃ teṣāṃ mama caiva bravīhi ||

Translation

Vidura said: “Ajātaśatru, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra summoned me, treating me as one under his protection; and after receiving and honoring me, he spoke thus: ‘Vidura, now that matters have come to this pass, adopt an even-minded stance and tell me a wholesome course of action—one that will be beneficial both for them (the Pāṇḍavas) and for me.’”

Word by Word

• {'vidura uvāca': 'Vidura said', 'avocat / avocan': 'he said

• he spoke', 'mām': 'to me', 'dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (king of the Kurus)', 'anuguptam': 'as one protected/guarded

• under patronage', 'ajātaśatro': 'O Ajātaśatru (‘one whose enemy is not born’), an epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira', 'parigṛhya': 'having received, taken in, welcomed', 'abhipūjya': 'having honored, having shown respect', 'evaṃ gate': 'when things have gone thus

• in this situation', 'samatām': 'equanimity, even-mindedness', 'abhyupetya': 'having adopted, having taken up', 'pathyam': 'wholesome, salutary, beneficial counsel', 'teṣām': 'for them (contextually, the Pāṇḍavas)', 'mama': 'for me', 'ca eva': 'and indeed/also', 'bravīhi': 'tell (imperative), speak'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In crisis, counsel should be guided by samatā (equanimity) and pathya (wholesome benefit), aiming at the welfare of all parties rather than partisan victory—an ethical ideal associated with dharma and wise statecraft.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura reports to Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Ajātaśatru) that Dhṛtarāṣṭra summoned and honored him, then asked him to propose a beneficial course of action for both the Pāṇḍavas and himself amid a tense and deteriorating situation.