Shloka 39

Devanagari script

विदुर उवाच तस्माद्‌ राजेन्द्र भूम्यर्थे नानृतं वक्तुमहसि । मा गम: ससुतामात्यो नाशं पुत्रार्थमब्रुवन्‌,विदुरजी कहते हैं--इसलिये राजेन्द्र! आप पृथ्वीके लिये झूठ न बोलें। बेटेके स्वार्थथश सच्ची बात न कहकर पुत्र और मन्त्रियोंके साथ विनाशके मुखमें न जायेँ

Transliteration

vidura uvāca tasmād rājendra bhūmyarthe nānṛtaṃ vaktum arhasi | mā gamaḥ sa-sutāmātyo nāśaṃ putrārtham abruvan |

Translation

Dijo Vidura: «Por eso, oh el mejor de los reyes, no debes decir falsedad por causa de la tierra y el dominio. No rehúses, por tu hijo, pronunciar la verdad y así encaminarte—junto con tu hijo y tus ministros—hacia la ruina».

Word by Word

विदुरःVidura

उवाचsaid

तस्मात्therefore

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

भूम्यर्थेfor the sake of land/kingdom

नnot

अनृतम्falsehood, untruth

वक्तुम्to speak

अर्हसिyou ought/are fit

माdo not

गमःgo

सwith

सुतामात्यःsons and ministers (as a group)

नाशम्destruction

पुत्रार्थम्for the sake of (your) son

अब्रुवन्speaking/saying

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

rājendra (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra in context)

putra (the son; contextually Duryodhana)

amātya (ministers/counselors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vidura teaches that a ruler must not abandon truth for political gain (land/kingdom) or familial attachment. Falsehood and suppression of truth, especially to protect a son’s interests, leads not to security but to collective ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel scenes, Vidura admonishes the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) to restrain partiality toward his son and to uphold truthful, dharmic speech. He warns that choosing deceit for territorial ambition and filial favoritism will drag the king, his son, and his ministers toward destruction.