Shloka 25

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule

Devanagari script

बद्ध्‌वा वा निकृतिप्रज्ञं धार्तराष्ट्रं सुदु्मतिम्‌

Transliteration

baddhvā vā nikṛtiprajñaṃ dhārtarāṣṭraṃ sudurmatim

Translation

Dice Vidura: «Si no, atad a Dhṛtarāṣṭra—cuya comprensión ha sido torcida por el engaño, cuya mente está mal dispuesta». La línea expresa la severa urgencia ética de Vidura: cuando el juicio de un gobernante se corrompe y se vuelve dañino, contenerlo se vuelve un acto necesario para impedir que el adharma y la ruina se extiendan.

Word by Word

• बद्ध्वा: having bound
• Type: Verb
• Root: बन्ध्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• निकृतिप्रज्ञम्: one whose intellect is (set on) deceit / deceit-minded
• निकृतिप्रज्ञम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निकृतिप्रज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• धार्तराष्ट्रम्: the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Duryodhana)
• धार्तराष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सुदुर्मतिम्: very evil-minded / of very bad counsel
• सुदुर्मतिम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदुर्मति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When a leader’s discernment becomes corrupted by deceit and ill-will, ethical governance may require firm restraint to prevent further wrongdoing and protect the realm from destructive decisions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura, speaking in the Udyoga Parva amid escalating conflict, sharply characterizes Dhṛtarāṣṭra as deceit-corrupted and ill-minded, implying that decisive restraint of the king is warranted to stop harmful counsel and avert catastrophe.