Shloka 45
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरनीतिः (Adhyāya 37): आयुःक्षयहेतवः, नीतिसूत्राणि, बलभेदाः, पाण्डव-विग्रहदोषदर्शनम्
य॑ प्रशंसन्ति कितवा यं॑ प्रशंसन्ति चारणा: । य॑ प्रशंसन्ति बन्धक्यो न स जीवति मानव:
yaṁ praśaṁsanti kitavā yaṁ praśaṁsanti cāraṇāḥ | yaṁ praśaṁsanti bandhakyo na sa jīvati mānavaḥ ||
Vidura berkata: “Seseorang yang dipuji oleh para penjudi, yang disanjung oleh penghibur dan pemuji upahan, dan yang diagungkan oleh pelacur, sebenarnya tidak hidup. Walaupun masih bernafas, dia hidup seperti orang yang sudah mati—kerana hidupnya dikuasai maksiat dan pujian kosong, bukan dharma dan pengendalian diri.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura warns that seeking validation from morally compromised circles—gamblers, hired flatterers, and courtesans—signals a life ruled by indulgence and vanity. Such a person may be alive physically, but is 'as good as dead' ethically, because dharma, restraint, and honorable reputation have been abandoned.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers counsel (nīti) meant to correct destructive tendencies in the Kuru court. This verse is part of his sharp social-ethical critique: he identifies the kind of praise that should alarm a ruler or householder, because it comes from those who profit from another’s weakness.