Shloka 14
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
युक्ताश्चान्यैर्महादोषैयें नरास्तान् विवर्जयेत् । निवर्तमाने सौहार्दे प्रीतिर्नीचे प्रणश्यति
yuktāścānyair mahādoṣair ye narās tān vivarjayet | nivartamāne sauhārde prītir nīce praṇaśyati ||
Vidura aconselha que se mantenha distância de pessoas carregadas de graves faltas e outros vícios. Quando a boa vontade e o afeto mútuo começam a recuar, o amor e a lealdade perecem primeiro no homem de ânimo vil—revelando um caráter baixo, incapaz de sustentar a amizade quando a harmonia declina.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Avoid association with people marked by serious moral defects; when harmony weakens, the ignoble person is the first to let affection collapse, so friendship should be grounded in virtue rather than convenience.
In Vidura’s counsel during the tense pre-war negotiations of the Udyoga Parva, he offers practical nīti: how to judge companions and preserve dharmic relationships amid declining goodwill.