Shloka 22
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
“महाबाहो! आजसे पितरोंके पिण्डका, सुयशका और इस कुलका भार भी तुम्हारे ही ऊपर है। पुत्र! आज या कल अवश्य चले जाओ; विलम्ब न करना ।। राजनीति: सुबहुश: श्रुता ते भरतर्षभ । संदेष्टव्यं न पश्यामि कृतं मे भवता विभो
mahābāho! ājasa pitṝṇāṁ piṇḍakā, suyāśasā ca, asya kulasya bhāro 'pi tavaiva upari. putra! āja vā śvaḥ avasyaṁ calāhi; vilambaṁ mā kṛthāḥ. nīti-rājñītiḥ bahuśaḥ śrutā te, bharatarṣabha; sandeṣṭavyaṁ na paśyāmi, kṛtaṁ me bhavatā vibho.
“O makapangyarihang bisig! Mula sa araw na ito, ang tungkulin ng pag-aalay ng pinda sa mga ninuno, ang pag-iingat sa mabuting pangalan, at ang pananagutan sa angkang ito ay nasa iyo na lamang. Anak ko, dapat kang umalis—ngayon man o bukas, tiyak; huwag magpaliban. Maraming ulit mo nang narinig ang payong pampolitika at panghari, O pinakamainam sa mga Bharata; wala na akong nakikitang dapat pang ipagbilin. Nagawa mo na ang nararapat para sa akin, O panginoon.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as inherited responsibility: maintaining ancestral rites (piṇḍa/śrāddha), protecting one’s reputation, and carrying the burden of the lineage. It also implies that true instruction culminates in timely action—once counsel is received, delay becomes a moral failure.
A senior voice urges a younger hero/prince to depart promptly, declaring that from now on the obligations of the family—ritual, honor, and governance—rest on him. The speaker notes that the addressee has already heard statecraft repeatedly and has fulfilled what was needed, so no further instruction remains.