Shloka 6
Vidurā–Putra Saṃvāda: Utsāha, Kīrti, and Kṣātra Resolve
Udyoga-parva 131
श्रोत्रियस्थेव ते राजन् मन्दकस्याविपक्चित: । अनुवाकहता बुद्धिर्धर्ममेवैकमी क्षते
śrotriyastha iva te rājan mandakasya avipakvitaḥ | anuvākahatā buddhir dharmam evai kam īkṣate ||
Vāyu dit : «Ô Roi, ton intelligence ressemble à celle d’un récitant des Veda, lourd et encore vert, qui n’en saisit pas le sens : son esprit s’use à la seule répétition des leçons et ne voit le “dharma” que comme récitation. Ainsi, ton cœur ne s’attache qu’au dharma de la paix, incapable de discerner, en cette crise, l’exigence plus entière de la justice.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere attachment to a single form of dharma—here, peace—without mature discernment can become a limitation. True righteousness requires understanding meaning and context, not just repeating a principle or practice.
Vāyu addresses the king and rebukes him for a one-sided fixation on ‘śānti-dharma’ (peaceful policy). He compares the king’s mindset to an uncomprehending Veda-reciter who repeats lessons without grasping their sense, implying the king is missing the broader ethical demands of the situation.