Shloka 36
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
यदतप्तं प्रणमति न तत् संतापयन्त्यपि । यच्च स्वयं नतं दारु न तत् संनमयन्त्यपि
yad ataptaṁ praṇamati na tat santāpayanty api | yac ca svayaṁ nataṁ dāru na tat saṁnamayanty api ||
यदतप्तं प्रणमति न तत्सन्तापयन्त्यपि । यच्च स्वयं नतं दारु न तत्संनमयन्त्यपि ॥
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not apply harsh measures where gentle compliance already exists. One who yields voluntarily to right counsel should not be further pressured; coercion is reserved for those who resist dharma and reason.
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, Vidura speaks in the mode of nīti (practical ethics), using a craft analogy—heating metal and bending wood—to advise that treatment should match disposition: the already pliant need no force.