Shloka 19
किन्नु मे स्यादिदं कृत्वा किन्नु मे स्यादकुर्वतः । इति कर्माणि संचिन्त्य कुर्याद् वा पुरुषो न वा,इसे करनेसे मेरा क्या लाभ होगा और न करनेसे क्या हानि होगी--इस प्रकार कर्मोंके विषयमें भलीभाँति विचार करके फिर मनुष्य (कर्म) करे या न करे
kinnu me syād idaṃ kṛtvā kinnu me syād akurvataḥ | iti karmāṇi saṃcintya kuryād vā puruṣo na vā ||
Dice Vidura: «¿Qué ganaré si hago esto, y qué perderé si no lo hago?» Tras meditar así con cuidado sobre los actos, el hombre debe decidir si actuar o abstenerse, eligiendo con deliberación y no por arrebato.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before acting, one should weigh likely benefit and harm—both of doing and of not doing—then choose action or restraint with clear judgment. Vidura frames ethical agency as thoughtful evaluation rather than rashness.
In Udyoga Parva, as tensions move toward conflict, Vidura offers counsel grounded in niti (statecraft and ethics). Here he articulates a general rule for decision-making: reflect on consequences and then decide whether to proceed.