Shloka 19

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

यस्य कृत्यं न विघ्नन्ति शीतमुष्णं भयं रति: । समृद्धिरसमृद्धिर्वां स वै पण्डित उच्यते,सर्दी-गरमी, भय-अनुराग, सम्पत्ति अथवा दरिद्रता--ये जिसके कार्यमें विघ्न नहीं डालते, वही पण्डित कहलाता है

Transliteration

yasya kṛtyaṁ na vighnanti śītam uṣṇaṁ bhayaṁ ratiḥ | samṛddhir asamṛddhir vāṁ sa vai paṇḍita ucyate ||

Translation

Vidura dit : «On appelle véritablement sage celui dont le devoir n’est entravé ni par le froid ni par la chaleur, ni par la peur ni par l’attachement, ni par l’abondance ni par le manque».

Word by Word

यस्यof whom/whose

कृत्यम्duty; task to be done

नnot

विघ्नन्तिobstruct; hinder

शीतम्cold

उष्णम्heat

भयम्fear

रति:pleasure; attachment

समृद्धिःprosperity; success

असमृद्धिःnon-prosperity; adversity

वाor

सःhe

वैindeed

पण्डितःa wise man; learned person

उच्यतेis called

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

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?

A truly wise person remains steadfast in duty and right action, not allowing bodily discomfort (cold/heat), emotional disturbances (fear/attachment), or external circumstances (prosperity/poverty) to derail what ought to be done.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel (nīti) in the tense lead-up to war, defining the marks of a paṇḍita: inner steadiness and unwavering commitment to duty amid life’s opposites.