Shloka 23
Bhāgīrathī-tīra-śauca, Kurukṣetra-gamana, and Śatayūpa-āśrama-dīkṣā (गङ्गातीरशौच–कुरुक्षेत्रगमन–शतयूपाश्रमदीक्षा)
अभिजज्ञे महाबुद्धि महाबुद्धिर्युधिछ्िर:
abhijajñe mahābuddhiṁ mahābuddhir yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | sa bahu-durbalo jātaḥ śarīra-dhātra-mātraḥ | etāvatā tasya jīvitam iti sūcitaṁ babhūva | parama-buddhimān rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ tān mahābuddhimān viduraṁ pratyabhijānāt ||
Waiśaṃpāyana berkata: Raja Yudhiṣṭhira yang amat bijaksana mengenali Vidura yang berhati luhur. Vidura telah menjadi sangat lemah—tubuhnya nyaris tinggal rangka, dan hanya dari itulah tampak bahwa hayat masih tersisa. Namun Yudhiṣṭhira, dengan kejernihan budi dan hormat kepada dharma, mengenalinya dan memahami beratnya keadaan itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom includes the ability to recognize dharmic greatness even when external signs—strength, status, or appearance—have faded. The passage highlights reverence for virtue and the ethical sensitivity to human frailty and mortality.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira encounters Vidura in a severely weakened state. Though Vidura is barely alive and physically reduced to a mere frame, Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes him, marking a poignant moment in the forest-ascetic phase of the epic.