Shloka 22
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
“महाबाहो! आजसे पितरोंके पिण्डका, सुयशका और इस कुलका भार भी तुम्हारे ही ऊपर है। पुत्र! आज या कल अवश्य चले जाओ; विलम्ब न करना ।।
mahābāho! ājasa pitṝṇāṁ piṇḍakā, suyāśasā ca, asya kulasya bhāro 'pi tavaiva upari. putra! āja vā śvaḥ avasyaṁ calāhi; vilambaṁ mā kṛthāḥ. nīti-rājñītiḥ bahuśaḥ śrutā te, bharatarṣabha; sandeṣṭavyaṁ na paśyāmi, kṛtaṁ me bhavatā vibho.
«¡Oh de poderosos brazos! Desde este mismo día, el deber de ofrecer las oblaciones a los antepasados, la custodia de tu buena fama y la responsabilidad de este linaje recaen sólo sobre ti. Hijo mío, debes partir —hoy o mañana sin falta—; no te demores. Has escuchado muchas veces el consejo político y real, oh toro entre los Bharatas; no veo nada más que deba instruirse. Ya has hecho lo que se requería por mí, oh señor.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as inherited responsibility: maintaining ancestral rites (piṇḍa/śrāddha), protecting one’s reputation, and carrying the burden of the lineage. It also implies that true instruction culminates in timely action—once counsel is received, delay becomes a moral failure.
A senior voice urges a younger hero/prince to depart promptly, declaring that from now on the obligations of the family—ritual, honor, and governance—rest on him. The speaker notes that the addressee has already heard statecraft repeatedly and has fulfilled what was needed, so no further instruction remains.