Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
जानता च महाबाहो विदुरेण महात्मना । यतितं सर्वयत्नेन शमं प्रति जनेश्वर,महाबाहु नरेश्वर! महात्मा विदुर इस भावी परिणामको जानते थे, इसीलिये इन्होंने सारी शक्ति लगाकर संधिके लिये प्रयत्न किया था
jānatā ca mahābāho vidureṇa mahātmanā | yatitaṃ sarvayatnena śamaṃ prati janeśvara ||
Vyāsa said: O mighty-armed one, O lord of men—Vidura, that great-souled man, foresaw what was to come. Therefore, with every effort at his command, he strove for reconciliation and peace. The verse underscores the ethical duty of the wise to avert catastrophe through counsel and conciliation, even when others are driven by pride and hostility.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The wise, foreseeing harmful consequences, have a dharmic responsibility to strive for peace and reconciliation with full effort; moral counsel and restraint are superior to letting pride and conflict escalate into irreversible ruin.
Vyāsa remarks that Vidura already understood the impending disastrous outcome, and therefore he had earlier exerted himself with all possible means to bring about śama—conciliation and peace—between the contending sides.