Shloka 15
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
यतते चापवादाय यत्नमारभते क्षये
yatate cāpavādāya yatnam ārabhate kṣaye
Vidura diz: «O homem se empenha em atrair a censura e só inicia esforços rumo à ruína». No quadro ético de seu conselho, esta linha condena a ambição autodestrutiva — ações movidas por juízo errado, que chamam a reprovação pública e terminam em perda, não em bem-estar.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions pursued with misguided intent often lead to two outcomes: social reproach (apavāda) and personal ruin (kṣaya). Vidura warns that wise effort should aim at welfare and dharma, not at courses that predictably end in disgrace and loss.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral and political counsel (Vidura-nīti) during the tense pre-war negotiations. This verse is part of his admonition against reckless, unrighteous policy that damages one’s reputation and brings destruction.