Shloka 31
अध्याय ३९: विदुरेण धृतराष्ट्राय नीत्युपदेशः
Timely Counsel, Association, and Kin-Duty
धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--विदुर! तुम प्रतिदिन मुझे जिस प्रकार उपदेश दिया करते हो, वह बहुत ठीक है। सौम्य! तुम मुझसे जो कुछ भी कहते हो, ऐसा ही मेरा भी विचार है ।। सातु बुद्धि: कृताप्येवं पाण्डवान् प्रति मे सदा । दुर्योधनं समासाद्य पुनर्विपरिवर्तते,यद्यपि मैं पाण्डवोंके प्रति सदा ऐसी ही बुद्धि रखता हूँ, तथापि दुर्योधनसे मिलनेपर फिर बुद्धि पलट जाती है
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—vidura! tvaṃ me pratidinaṃ yathā upadeśaṃ dadāsi, tat sarvam eva samyak. saumya! tvaṃ mayi yat kiṃcid vadasi, tathāiva mama api matam. sā tu buddhiḥ kṛtā apy evaṃ pāṇḍavān prati me sadā, duryodhanaṃ samāsādya punaḥ viparivartate.
ドリタラーシュトラは言った。「ヴィドゥラよ、そなたが日々わたしに授ける諫言はまことに正しい。温和なる者よ、そなたの言葉はすべて、わたし自身の判断とも一致している。だが、たとえわたしが常にパーンダヴァらに味方しようと決意していても、ドゥルヨーダナに会うや否や、心はまた逆へと翻ってしまうのだ。」
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right counsel and clear moral understanding are insufficient if one repeatedly yields to attachment and proximity to a powerful influence. Dhṛtarāṣṭra admits that he knows what is just toward the Pāṇḍavas, yet his resolve collapses when he faces Duryodhana—highlighting the ethical danger of partiality and weak self-governance in a ruler.
In Udyoga Parva, as war negotiations and court deliberations intensify, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Vidura, acknowledging Vidura’s daily advice and agreeing with it in principle. However, he confesses that his stance shifts whenever he meets his son Duryodhana, revealing the court’s paralysis and the king’s inability to act decisively for dharma.