Shloka 18

Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma

Devanagari script

उद्धावयस्व वीर्य वा तां वा गच्छ ध्रुवां गतिम्‌ । धर्म पुत्राग्रतः कृत्वा किंनिमित्तं हि जीवसि

Transliteration

uddhāvayasva vīryaṃ vā tāṃ vā gaccha dhruvāṃ gatim | dharma-putrāgrataḥ kṛtvā kiṃ-nimittaṃ hi jīvasi

Translation

وایو نے کہا—“اپنی قوتِ بازو کو ابھارو اور عمل میں لگو—ورنہ اس یقینی، آخری انجام کو پہنچ جاؤ۔ دھرم کے بیٹوں (پانڈوؤں) کو اپنے سامنے رکھ کر، پھر تم کس مقصد کے لیے ابھی تک زندگی سے چمٹے ہوئے ہو؟”

Word by Word

उद्धावयस्वdrive away / chase off

वीर्यम्valor, prowess

वाor

ताम्that (her/it)

वाor

गच्छgo

ध्रुवाम्certain, fixed

गतिम्course, destination

धर्मपुत्रDharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira)

अग्रतःin front of, before

कृत्वाhaving made / having placed

किम्what

निमित्तम्reason, cause

हिindeed, for

जीवसिyou live

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Dharma-putra(s) (sons of Dharma / Pāṇḍavas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Life is justified by purposeful adherence to dharma: if one has vowed to place the righteous cause (the Dharma-sons/Pāṇḍavas) first, one must either act with full courage or accept the inevitable end rather than live in hesitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a warrior-figure with a sharp exhortation: stop wavering—either summon heroic strength to fulfill the pledged duty toward the Dharma-sons (the Pāṇḍavas) or embrace the certain fate that comes from inaction and moral failure.