Shloka 26
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
देवद्रव्यविनाशेन ब्रह्मस्वहरणेन च । कुलान्यकुलतां यान्ति ब्राह्म॒णातिक्रमेण च,देवताओंके धनका नाश, ब्राह्मणके धनका अपहरण और ब्राह्मणोंकी मर्यादाका उल्लंघन करनेसे उत्तम कुल भी अधम हो जाते हैं
devadravyavināśena brahmasvaharaṇena ca | kulāny akulatāṁ yānti brāhmaṇātikrameṇa ca ||
Vidura berkata: “Dengan menyia-nyiakan harta persembahan bagi para dewa, dengan merampas milik seorang Brahmana, dan dengan melanggar kehormatan serta batas yang patut bagi kaum Brahmana—keluarga-keluarga pun jatuh dari kemuliaan menjadi hina.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that violating sacred trust—misusing offerings meant for the gods, stealing Brahmin property, and disrespecting Brahmins—destroys a family’s moral legitimacy. Lineage and reputation endure only when dharma is protected in matters of wealth, worship, and social restraint.
In the Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the Kuru court during the tense pre-war negotiations. Here he delivers a moral warning: certain transgressions, especially against sacred endowments and Brahmins, bring collective decline upon even eminent families.