Shloka 9

Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule

Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच सर्व त्वमायतीयुक्तं भाषसे प्राज्ञसम्मतम्‌ | न चोत्सहे सुतं त्यक्तुं यतो धर्मस्ततो जय:

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca sarvaṁ tvam āyatīyuktaṁ bhāṣase prājñasammataṁ | na cotsahae sutaṁ tyaktuṁ yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ||

Translation

دھرتراشٹر نے کہا— اے ودور! تم جو کچھ کہتے ہو وہ آئندہ کے بھلے کے لیے ہے اور دانا لوگ اسے پسند کرتے ہیں۔ یہ بھی سچ ہے کہ جہاں دھرم ہوتا ہے وہیں جیت ہوتی ہے؛ مگر پھر بھی مجھ میں اتنی ہمت نہیں کہ میں اپنے بیٹے کو ترک کر دوں۔

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'sarvam': 'all, entirely', 'tvam': 'you', 'āyatī-yuktam': 'connected with what is to come

• farsighted', 'bhāṣase': 'you speak, you say', 'prājña-sammatam': 'approved/endorsed by the wise', 'na ca': 'and yet not', 'utsahae (utsahē/utsahāmi sense)': 'I am able

• I have the resolve/strength', 'sutam': 'son', 'tyaktum': 'to abandon, to give up', 'yataḥ': 'where, on whichever side', 'dharmaḥ': 'dharma

• moral law/duty', 'tataḥ': 'there, on that side', 'jayaḥ': 'victory'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• son (Duryodhana implied)
• Vidura (addressed in the received Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one intellectually recognizes that dharma determines true victory, personal attachment (especially to family) can obstruct ethical action; the verse highlights the gap between moral insight and moral courage.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the lead-up to war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra responds to Vidura’s prudent advice: he admits Vidura’s words are wise and beneficial and agrees that the righteous side wins, but confesses he cannot bring himself to renounce or restrain his son.