Shloka 24
Kāmyaka-vane Pāṇḍava-nivāsaḥ — Vidurasya āgamanam ca (कamyake वने पाण्डवनिवासः—विदुरस्य आगमनं च)
पाण्डो: सुता यादृशा मे तादृशास्तव भारत । दीना इतीव मे बुद्धिरभिपन्नाद्य तान् प्रति,भारत! मेरे लिये जैसे पाण्डुके पुत्र हैं, वैसे ही आपके भी। परंतु पाण्डव इन दिनों दीन दशामें हैं, अतः उनके प्रति मेरे हृदयका झुकाव हो गया
pāṇḍoḥ sutā yādṛśā me tādṛśās tava bhārata | dīnā itīva me buddhir abhipannā adya tān prati ||
Vidura said: “O Bhārata, the sons of Pāṇḍu are to me exactly as your own sons are. Yet today my mind has come to feel that the Pāṇḍavas are in a pitiable condition; therefore my heart inclines toward them.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura models ethical counsel: even when one claims equal regard for all, dharma requires special care for those who are presently vulnerable. Compassion toward the distressed is not partiality but a moral response to suffering.
Vidura addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, affirming that the Pāṇḍavas are as dear to him as Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s own sons, yet noting that the Pāṇḍavas are currently in a weakened, afflicted state—hence his mind and sympathy naturally lean toward protecting and supporting them.