Shloka 8
Tilottamā, Sunda–Upasunda, and the Pāṇḍava Samaya (Ādi Parva 204)
तावुभौ पुरुषव्याप्रावनागसि नृपे त्वयि । न मन्त्रयेतां त्वच्छेय: कथं सत्यपराक्रमौ,महाराज! आपने भी इनका कोई अपराध नहीं किया है; फिर ये दोनों सत्यपराक्रमी पुरुषसिंह आपको हितकारक सलाह न दें, यह कैसे हो सकता है?
tāv ubhau puruṣavyāprāv anāgasi nṛpe tvayi | na mantrayetāṁ tvaccheyaḥ kathaṁ satyaparākramau, mahārāja ||
Vidura said: “O King, you have committed no offense against those two energetic and noble men. How, then, could they—men whose valor is grounded in truth—fail to counsel you for your welfare, O great king?”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king should recognize and accept well-intentioned counsel. When one is guiltless toward advisers, it is natural—and ethically expected—that truthful and capable men will speak for the king’s welfare (śreyas).
Vidura addresses the king and argues that since the king has not wronged the two noble men, it would be unreasonable to think they would withhold beneficial advice. He frames their counsel as grounded in truth and aimed at the king’s good.