Shloka 6
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 40 — Vidura’s Ethical Counsel and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fatalistic Turn
ब्राह्मीं हि योनिमापन्न: सुगुह्ममपि यो वदेत् । न तेन गह्टों देवानां तस्मादेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,ब्राह्मणयोनिमें जिसका जन्म हुआ है, वह यदि गोपनीय तत्त्वका प्रतिपादन कर दे तो देवताओंकी निन्दाका पात्र नहीं बनता। इसी कारण मैं आपको ऐसा कह रहा हूँ
brāhmīṁ hi yonim āpannaḥ suguhyam api yo vadet | na tena garhyo devānāṁ tasmād etad bravīmi te ||
Vidura berkata: “Sesiapa yang terlahir dalam keturunan Brahmana, sekalipun mengucapkan kebenaran yang paling rahsia, tidaklah dengan itu menjadi tercela di sisi para dewa. Maka, atas sebab itulah aku menyampaikan hal ini kepadamu.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A qualified, dharmic speaker—here characterized as one of Brahmin birth—may disclose even a confidential truth when it serves righteousness; such truthful counsel is not condemned by the gods. Vidura uses this to justify offering frank, potentially sensitive instruction.
Vidura is in the role of moral counselor in the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations. He prefaces his advice by stating that revealing a ‘secret’ principle is permissible for a rightful teacher, and on that basis he proceeds to speak openly to his listener.