Shloka 51
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
प्रायेण श्रीमतां लोके भोक्तुं शक्तिर्न विद्यते जीर्यन्त्यपि हि काष्ठानि दरिद्राणां महीपते,राजन! संसारमें धनियोंको प्रायः भोजनको पचानेकी शक्ति नहीं होती, किंतु दरिद्रोंके पेटमें काठ भी पच जाते हैं
prāyeṇa śrīmatāṃ loke bhoktuṃ śaktir na vidyate | jīryanty api hi kāṣṭhāni daridrāṇāṃ mahīpate ||
Wahai raja, di dunia ini orang kaya sering kali tidak memiliki daya batin untuk menikmati dan mencerna apa yang mereka santap; sedangkan orang miskin, wahai penguasa bumi, bahkan dapat mencerna sesuatu yang sekeras kayu.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity can weaken restraint and even bodily/mental resilience, while poverty often fosters endurance; therefore one should not equate wealth with well-being, and should cultivate moderation and inner strength.
In Vidura’s counsel to the king during the Udyoga Parva, he uses a vivid metaphor—wealthy people often cannot digest rich enjoyment, while the poor can digest even ‘wood’—to critique indulgence and to highlight the hardiness produced by hardship.