Shloka 52
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
अवृत्तिर्भयमन्त्यानां मध्यानां मरणाद् भयम् । उत्तमानां तु मर्त्यानामवमानात् परं भयम्
avṛttir bhayam antyānāṁ madhyānāṁ maraṇād bhayam | uttamānāṁ tu martyānām avamānāt paraṁ bhayam ||
अधमांना उपजीविकेअभावी भय वाटते, मध्यमांना मृत्यूचे भय; पण उत्तम पुरुषांना अपमानापेक्षा मोठे भय नाही.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear reflects one’s values: those driven by mere survival fear loss of livelihood, ordinary people fear death, but the noble fear dishonour most, since they place dharma, self-respect, and moral standing above bodily life.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral and political counsel (nīti) in the tense lead-up to war, warning the Kuru court about right conduct; here he contrasts types of fear to highlight the superior standard expected of the truly virtuous.