Shloka 27
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule
पाण्डवानां कुरूणां च राज्ञाममिततेजसाम् । विररामैवमुक्त्वा तु विदुरो दीनमानस: । प्रध्यायमान: स तदा नि: श्वसंश्व॒ पुन: पुन:
pāṇḍavānāṃ kurūṇāṃ ca rājñām amit-tejasām | virarāmaivam uktvā tu viduro dīna-mānasaḥ | pradhyāyamānaḥ sa tadā niḥśvasaṃś ca punaḥ punaḥ ||
Vidura, dengan hati yang berat, berkata demikian lalu terdiam. Ketika dia merenung sedalam-dalamnya, dia terus menarik nafas panjang berulang kali, kerana di hadapan matanya dia melihat kebinasaan besar yang kian mendekat menimpa Pāṇḍava, Kuru, dan raja-raja lain yang berteja tiada terukur. Rangkap ini menegaskan tragedi etika perang yang lahir daripada kedegilan: apabila nasihat diabaikan, orang bijaksana pun hanya mampu berdukacita melihat runtuhnya dharma yang membawa kepada kehancuran bersama.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
When righteous counsel is disregarded and pride hardens into policy, the result is not a ‘victory’ but a shared catastrophe. Vidura’s silence and repeated sighs dramatize the moral weight of foreseen adharma: wisdom may warn, yet grief follows when leaders refuse restraint.
Vidura has delivered a grave warning about the impending ruin involving the Pāṇḍavas, the Kurus, and powerful allied kings. After speaking, he becomes silent, sinks into troubled contemplation, and repeatedly sighs—signaling that he perceives the near-inevitability of war and mass destruction.