Shloka 30
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule
राज्यं कुरूणामनुपूर्व भोज्यं क्रमागतो न: कुलधर्म एष: । त्वं पापबुद्धेडतिनृशंसकर्मन् राज्यं कुरूणामनयाद् विहंसि
rājyaṃ kurūṇām anupūrva-bhojyaṃ kramāgato naḥ kula-dharma eṣaḥ | tvaṃ pāpa-buddher ati-nṛśaṃsa-karman rājyaṃ kurūṇām anayād vihiṃsi ||
Vidura declara que entre los Kuru el reino debe disfrutarse y gobernarse según la sucesión debida: ésa es su ley familiar heredada y su costumbre establecida; la autoridad pasa paso a paso al mayor legítimo, no se arrebata fuera de turno. Luego reprende a Duryodhana como hombre de intención pecaminosa y de actos brutalmente crueles, diciendo que con su injusticia está llevando a la ruina al propio reino de los Kuru.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule must follow established dharma—especially the dynastic norm of orderly succession. Seizing power through anaya (injustice) is not merely a personal fault; it corrodes the polity and leads to collective ruin.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Vidura confronts Duryodhana, reminding him of the Kuru tradition of rightful succession and condemning his ruthless, unjust conduct as the cause of the impending destruction of the Kuru kingdom.