Shloka 49
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
आढ्यानां मांसपरमं मध्यानां गोरसोत्तरम् तैलोत्तरं दरिद्राणां भोजनं भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ। धनोन्मत्त (तामस स्वभाववाले) पुरुषोंके भोजनमें मांसकी, मध्यम श्रेणीवालोंके भोजनमें गोरसकी तथा दरिद्रोंक भोजनमें तेलकी प्रधानता होती है
āḍhyānāṁ māṁsa-paramaṁ madhyānāṁ go-rasottaram tailottaraṁ daridrāṇāṁ bhojanaṁ bharatarṣabha bharataśreṣṭha
ഭരതശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! സമ്പന്നരുടെ ഭക്ഷണത്തിൽ മാംസം പ്രധാനം; മധ്യസ്ഥരുടെ ഭക്ഷണത്തിൽ ഗോറസം (പാൽ മുതലായവ) കൂടുതലായി; ദരിദ്രരുടെ ഭക്ഷണത്തിൽ എണ്ണയാണ് പ്രധാനം।
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura points out that a person’s diet often mirrors wealth and temperament: luxury leans toward heavier, indulgent foods; moderate means toward sustaining staples like dairy; poverty toward cheaper fats like oil. The ethical thrust is to recognize how desire and status shape habits, and to cultivate restraint rather than being driven by appetite and pride.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers counsel (nīti) to the Kuru king Dhṛtarāṣṭra as war approaches. This verse is part of his practical, moral instruction, using everyday examples—like food preferences—to illustrate human tendencies and the need for self-governance.