Shloka 59
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
क्षमेदशक्त: सर्वस्य शक्तिमान् धर्मकारणात् | अर्थानर्थों समौ यस्य तस्य नित्यं क्षमा हिता
kṣamed aśaktaḥ sarvasya śaktimān dharmakāraṇāt | arthānarthau samau yasya tasya nityaṃ kṣamā hitā ||
Itinuturo ni Vidura na ang pagpapatawad ay kapaki-pakinabang sa bawat kalagayan ng buhay: ang walang kapangyarihan ay likás na kailangang magtiis at magpatawad sa lahat; ngunit maging ang makapangyarihan ay dapat pumili ng pagpapatawad alang-alang sa dharma. Para sa taong pantay ang paningin—na itinuturing na magkasinghalaga ang pakinabang at pagkalugi, ang ginhawa at pinsala—ang pagpapatawad ay laging mabuti at nagbubunga ng kabutihan.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Forgiveness (kṣamā) is universally beneficial: the weak may forgive out of necessity, but the strong should forgive deliberately for the sake of dharma; the truly wise, seeing gain and harm as equal, find forgiveness always salutary.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is offering moral and political counsel in the tense lead-up to war, urging a dharmic response—restraint and forgiveness—rather than retaliation, even when one has the power to punish.