Shloka 34
उद्योगपर्व — विदुरनीतिः (Adhyāya 37): आयुःक्षयहेतवः, नीतिसूत्राणि, बलभेदाः, पाण्डव-विग्रहदोषदर्शनम्
विद्याशीलवयोवृद्धान बुद्धिवृद्धांश्व भारत । धनाभिजातवृद्धांश्व नित्यं मूढोड5वमन्यते,भारत! मूर्ख मनुष्य विद्या, शील, अवस्था, बुद्धि, धन और कुलमें बड़े माननीय पुरुषोंका सदा अनादर किया करता है
vidyāśīlavayovṛddhān buddhivṛddhāṁś ca bhārata | dhanābhijātavṛddhāṁś ca nityaṁ mūḍho ’vamanyate ||
Vidura disse: “Ó Bhārata, o homem iludido mostra continuamente desprezo por aqueles que lhe são superiores em saber, boa conduta e idade, bem como por aqueles que se destacam em sabedoria, riqueza e nobre nascimento. Tal desrespeito aos verdadeiramente veneráveis revela sua tolice e sua cegueira moral.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A foolish person habitually disrespects those who deserve honor—elders and people distinguished by knowledge, character, wisdom, wealth, and noble birth. Dharma requires recognizing genuine excellence and responding with humility and respect.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels Dhṛtarāṣṭra with nīti (statecraft and moral instruction). Here he warns that contempt for the venerable is a mark of delusion—an implicit critique relevant to the court’s failure to heed wise counsel before the war.