Shloka 19
क्लेशैस्तीव्रैर्युज्यमान: सपत्नै: क्षमां कुर्वन्ू कालमुपासते यः । संवर्धयन् स्तोकमिवाग्निमात्मवान् स वै भुड्क्ते पृथिवीमेक एव,जो शत्रुओंद्वारा दुःसह कष्ट दिये जानेपर भी क्षमा करते हुए अनुकूल अवसरकी प्रतीक्षा करता है; तथा जिस प्रकार थोड़ी-सी आगको भी लोग घास-फूसके द्वारा प्रज्वलित करके बढ़ा लेते हैं, वैसे ही जो मनको वशमें रखकर अपनी शक्ति और सहायकोंको बढ़ाता है, वह अकेला ही सारी पृथ्वीका उपभोग करता है
kleśais tīvrair yujyamānaḥ sapatnaiḥ kṣamāṃ kurvan kālam upāsate yaḥ | saṃvardhayan stokam ivāgnim ātmavān sa vai bhuṅkte pṛthivīm eka eva ||
Vidura teaches that the person who, though pressed by fierce hardships inflicted by rivals, practices forbearance and waits for the right time—while steadily increasing his strength and support, like a small fire fed into a blaze—ultimately comes to enjoy sovereignty over the whole earth by his own resolve. The ethic is strategic patience: restraint now, disciplined growth, and decisive success when the moment ripens.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Endure provocation with forbearance, maintain self-control, and wait for the opportune moment while quietly building strength and alliances; disciplined patience matures into decisive sovereignty.
Vidura is delivering a nīti-style counsel: he describes how a wise, self-possessed person responds to oppression by enemies—not with rash retaliation, but with restraint and strategic preparation, illustrated through the metaphor of a small fire being carefully fed until it becomes powerful.