Shloka 85
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
प्रमदा: कामयानेषु यजमानेषु याजका: । राजा विवदमानेषु नित्यं॑ मूर्खेषु पण्डिता:
pramadāḥ kāmayāneṣu yajamāneṣu yājakāḥ | rājā vivadamāneṣu nityaṁ mūrkheṣu paṇḍitāḥ ||
Vidura observa un patrón constante en la sociedad: las mujeres se hallan entre quienes son movidos por el deseo; los sacerdotes se congregan en torno a quienes celebran sacrificios; el rey es atraído al centro de los litigantes; y los sabios se encuentran siempre entre los necios—para instruirlos, contenerlos o ser probados por su necedad. El verso muestra que la sabiduría a menudo debe obrar en medio del desorden y la ignorancia.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Certain tendencies and social functions repeatedly cluster: desire attracts the company of women, sacrifice attracts priests, disputes draw in rulers, and folly inevitably becomes the field where the wise must work. The ethical point is that wisdom and governance are tested amid conflict and ignorance, so one should be vigilant about the company and situations one enters.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is offering counsel marked by sharp observations about conduct and society. This verse functions as a compact ‘nīti’ statement, describing predictable human and institutional patterns relevant to political negotiation and the management of conflict.