Shloka 28
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
नेदृशं बन्धुमासाद्य बान्धव: सुखमेधते । जिस दुर्बल मनुष्यका शत्रुपक्षेके लोग अभिनन्दन करते हों
nedṛśaṃ bandhum āsādya bāndhavaḥ sukham edhate |
Kapag ang natamo mong kamag-anak ay ganyan, ang mga kaanak ay hindi tunay na umuunlad sa ligaya. Isang mahinang tao na pinapalakpakan pa ng panig ng kaaway, hinahamak ng lahat, ang upuan at pananamit ay nasa pinakamaruming uri, namamangha at nasisiyahan na sa munting pakinabang, at namumuhay na hamak, maliit, at mababa ang loob—ang ganitong “kamag-anak” ay sanhi ng kahihiyan at pighati, hindi sandigan; kaya’t ang kanyang mga kaanak ay hindi uunlad dahil sa kanya.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A family’s welfare depends not merely on having relatives, but on their character and conduct. An unworthy, servile, and contemptible kinsman—content with paltry gains and lacking dignity—brings no real support or happiness to his own people.
Vāyudeva is describing, in admonitory terms, the kind of person whose presence as a ‘relative’ becomes a liability. The verse functions as a moral characterization within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, where virtues and failings are weighed before decisive action.