Shloka 33
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule
राज्यं तु पाण्डोरिदमप्रधुृष्यं तस्याद्य पुत्रा: प्रभवन्ति नान्ये । राज्यं तदेतन्निखिलं पाण्डवानां पैतामहं पुत्रपौत्रानुगामि
rājyaṃ tu pāṇḍor idam apradhṛṣyaṃ tasyādya putrāḥ prabhavanti nānye | rājyaṃ tad etan nikhilaṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ paitāmahaṃ putra-pautrānugāmi ||
Vidura declara: “Este reino inconquistável pertence ao rei Pāṇḍu. Somente os filhos de Pāṇḍu têm direito a ele—nenhum outro. Portanto, todo este domínio é herança dos Pāṇḍavas, pois a soberania ancestral deve passar, como convém, pela linhagem de filhos e netos.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura asserts a dharmic principle of legitimate succession: political authority is not merely seized by power but is grounded in rightful inheritance. The kingdom is Pāṇḍu’s patrimony and therefore belongs to his sons, the Pāṇḍavas; denying them is an ethical and legal violation of rajadharma.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Vidura counsels the Kuru court by stating plainly that the realm is Pāṇḍu’s and that only his sons are entitled to it. His statement challenges attempts to exclude the Pāṇḍavas and frames the dispute as a matter of justice and lawful succession.