Shloka 17
नारदेन धृतराष्ट्रगतिवर्णनम् | Nārada’s Account of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Future Course
“महाराज! तुम्हारे भाई विदुर देवताओंके भी देवता सनातन धर्म थे। मनके द्वारा धर्मका धारण और ध्यान किया जाता है, इसलिये विद्वान् पुरुष उन्हें धर्मके नामसे जानते हैं ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahārāja! tava bhrātā viduro devatānām api devatā sanātano dharmaḥ | manasā dharmo dhāryate dhyāyate ca, tasmād vidvāṃsaḥ taṃ dharmeti nāmnā jānanti || satyena saṃvardhayati yo damena śamena ca | ahiṃsayā ca dānena tapyamānaḥ sanātanaḥ || yo hi satya-indriya-saṃyama-mano-nigraha-ahiṃsā-dāna-rūpeṇa sevitaḥ sanātana-dharmaḥ jagato 'bhyudayasya sādhakaḥ, sa vidurād bhinnaḥ na bhavati |
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai maharaja, saudaramu Vidura adalah Dharma yang Kekal—bahkan suatu keilahian di antara para dewa. Dharma ditegakkan dan direnungkan oleh batin; karena itu orang bijak mengenalnya dengan nama ‘Dharma’. Dharma yang Kekal itu, bila dipupuk melalui kebenaran, pengendalian indria, ketenangan batin, tanpa-kekerasan, dan kedermawanan, menjadi sarana kesejahteraan serta kemajuan dunia; dan Dharma itu tidak berbeda dari Vidura.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely a concept but a lived discipline: truthfulness, sense-restraint (dama), mental tranquility (śama), non-violence (ahiṃsā), and generosity (dāna). When these are practiced, eternal Dharma becomes the cause of the world’s welfare (abhyudaya). Vidura is presented as the embodiment of that Dharma.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and praises Vidura, identifying him with eternal Dharma itself. The passage explains why the wise call him ‘Dharma’ and lists the virtues through which Dharma is cultivated, concluding that such Dharma is not separate from Vidura.