Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Rājadharma and Bala
बद्धन्नरसपानाढ्या: सभा विदुर कारय । गवां निपानान्यन्यच्च विविध पुण्यकं कुरु
baddhānna-rasapānāḍhyāḥ sabhā vidura kāraya | gavāṁ nipānāny anyac ca vividhaṁ puṇyakaṁ kuru ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Vidura, suruhlah dibina tempat perlindungan dan balai—lengkap dengan makanan yang telah disediakan, minuman berkhasiat, dan air minum—untuk orang miskin, orang buta, dan yang papa di pelbagai tempat. Binalah juga banyak palung air untuk lembu, dan lakukan lagi pelbagai amal kebajikan yang lain.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is expressed through practical compassion: organize public charity—food, drink, shelters, and care for animals—so that the vulnerable (poor, blind, destitute) are supported and society is sustained through meritorious works.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, an instruction is conveyed to Vidura to arrange public works of charity: build well-provisioned shelters/halls and create many watering facilities for cattle, along with other pious acts, reflecting the Kuru household’s turn toward merit and welfare in the Ashramavāsa context.