Shloka 16
Adhyāya 59: Vidura’s Admonition to Duryodhana after the Summons of Draupadī (सभा पर्व)
अकृतान्त्र कृतास्त्रश्न दुर्बलं बलवत्तर: । एवं कर्मसु सर्वेषु निकृत्यैव युधिष्ठिर । विद्वानविदुषो5भ्येति नाहुस्तां निकृतिं जना:
akṛtāntro kṛtāstraś ca durbalaṁ balavattaraḥ | evaṁ karmasu sarveṣu nikṛtyaiva yudhiṣṭhira | vidvān aviduṣo ’bhyeti nāhus tāṁ nikṛtiṁ janāḥ ||
Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, sebagaimana seorang petarung yang belum terlatih berusaha menundukkan ahli senjata dengan tipu daya, demikian pula orang yang lebih kuat mengalahkan yang lemah semata-mata dengan siasat. Begitulah dalam segala urusan, kaum berilmu kerap mengungguli yang tak berilmu dengan strategi; namun orang-orang tidak menyebutnya ‘kecurangan’.
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral ambiguity: society often normalizes ‘strategic’ advantage when the learned or powerful outmaneuver the unlearned, even if the method resembles deceit. It invites reflection on when cleverness becomes unethical trickery and how public opinion can excuse it.
In the Sabha Parva’s courtly context—where policy, rivalry, and manipulation are central—Yudhiṣṭhira voices a pointed observation about how victories are frequently achieved: not only by strength or skill, but by stratagem, which people may refuse to label as deceit when it benefits the ‘superior’ party.