Shloka 31

धृतराष्ट्रस्य वंशोपदेशः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Dynastic Counsel on Legitimate Rule

Devanagari script

राज्ये स्थितो धृतराष्ट्रो मनीषी तस्यानुजो विदुरो दीर्घदर्शी । एतावतिक्रम्य कथं नृपत्वं दुर्योधन प्रार्थयसे5द्य मोहात्‌

Transliteration

rājye sthito dhṛtarāṣṭro manīṣī tasyānujo viduro dīrghadarśī | etāvatikramya kathaṁ nṛpatvaṁ duryodhana prārthayase ’dya mohāt ||

Translation

Vidura nói: “Trong vương quốc này, vua Dhṛtarāṣṭra, bậc trí giả, đã được thiết lập đúng phép; và em trai của ngài, Vidura, người có tầm nhìn xa trong mưu lược, cũng đứng kề bên. Hỡi Duryodhana, sao hôm nay vì mê muội mà ngươi lại muốn đoạt lấy quyền vương, vượt qua hai vị hộ quốc chính đáng ấy?”

Word by Word

• {'rājye': 'in the kingdom, in the realm', 'sthitaḥ': 'established, set in place, duly installed', 'dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra (the Kuru king)', 'manīṣī': 'wise, discerning, thoughtful', 'tasya': 'of him, his', 'anujaḥ': 'younger brother', 'viduraḥ': 'Vidura (minister and moral counselor)', 'dīrghadarśī': 'far-sighted, one who sees long-term consequences', 'etāvat': 'to this extent

• in this manner', 'atikramya': 'overstepping, transgressing, bypassing', 'katham': 'how?', 'nṛpatvam': 'kingship, royal authority, sovereignty', 'duryodhana': 'Duryodhana (eldest Kaurava prince)', 'prārthayase': 'you desire, seek, demand', 'adya': 'today, now', 'mohāt': 'from delusion, out of infatuation/confusion'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vidura
• Duryodhana
• rājya (the kingdom/realm)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate authority and governance must follow dharma and established order; ambition driven by moha (delusion) that overrides rightful counsel and lawful guardianship leads to adharma and ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura rebukes Duryodhana for trying to assert sovereign control in the kingdom despite Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s established kingship and Vidura’s role as far-sighted counselor, warning that Duryodhana’s demand for power is born of delusion and transgression.