Shloka 18
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
उद्धावयस्व वीर्य वा तां वा गच्छ ध्रुवां गतिम् । धर्म पुत्राग्रतः कृत्वा किंनिमित्तं हि जीवसि
uddhāvayasva vīryaṃ vā tāṃ vā gaccha dhruvāṃ gatim | dharma-putrāgrataḥ kṛtvā kiṃ-nimittaṃ hi jīvasi
Vāyu dit : «Réveille ta vigueur et agis — sinon, va vers cette fin certaine et ultime. Puisque tu as placé devant toi les fils du Dharma (les Pāṇḍava) comme ton premier devoir, dans quel but t’accroches-tu encore à la vie ?»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is justified by purposeful adherence to dharma: if one has vowed to place the righteous cause (the Dharma-sons/Pāṇḍavas) first, one must either act with full courage or accept the inevitable end rather than live in hesitation.
Vāyudeva addresses a warrior-figure with a sharp exhortation: stop wavering—either summon heroic strength to fulfill the pledged duty toward the Dharma-sons (the Pāṇḍavas) or embrace the certain fate that comes from inaction and moral failure.