Shloka 50

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 34 — Vidura’s Counsel on Deliberation, Speech-Discipline, and Dharmic Kingship

Devanagari script

जरा रूप॑ हरति हि धैर्यमाशा मृत्यु: प्राणान्‌ धर्मचर्यामसूया । क्रोध: श्रियं शीलमनार्यसेवा हियं काम: सर्वमेवाभिमान:,बुढ़ापा (सुन्दर) रूपको, आशा धीरताको, मृत्यु प्राणोंको, असूया (गुणोंमें दोष देखनेका स्वभाव) धर्माचरणको, क्रोध लक्ष्मीको, नीच पुरुषोंकी सेवा सत्स्वभभावको, काम लज्जाको और अभिमान सर्वस्वको नष्ट कर देता है

Transliteration

jarā rūpaṃ harati hi dhairyam āśā mṛtyuḥ prāṇān dharmacaryām asūyā | krodhaḥ śriyaṃ śīlam anāryasevā hrīṃ kāmaḥ sarvam evābhimānaḥ ||

Translation

Vidura dạy rằng sự suy đồi trong ngoài phát sinh từ những thế lực nhất định: tuổi già cướp mất dung nhan; hy vọng khi hóa thành sự bám víu làm mòn sự vững lòng; cái chết lấy đi hơi thở sinh mệnh; lòng đố kỵ hay bới lỗi phá hoại việc hành trì dharma. Giận dữ tiêu tan phú quý; hầu hạ và kết giao với kẻ hèn làm hỏng nết tốt; dục vọng phá hủy sự đoan trang; và kiêu mạn có thể nuốt trọn tất cả.

Word by Word

• {'jarā': 'old age, senescence', 'rūpa': 'form, beauty, appearance', 'harati': 'takes away, removes, destroys', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'dhairya': 'steadfastness, courage, composure', 'āśā': 'hope, expectation, desire for outcomes', 'mṛtyuḥ': 'death', 'prāṇān': 'life-breaths, vital energies

• by extension life', 'dharmacaryā': 'practice/observance of dharma, righteous conduct', 'asūyā': 'envy

• fault-finding, seeing defects in others’ virtues', 'krodhaḥ': 'anger', 'śriyam': 'prosperity, fortune, splendor (Śrī)', 'śīlam': 'good character, conduct, disposition', 'anārya-sevā': 'service/association with the ignoble or base-minded', 'hrīm': 'modesty, shame, moral restraint', 'kāmaḥ': 'desire, lust', 'sarvam': 'everything, the whole of one’s good', 'eva': 'indeed, entirely', 'abhimānaḥ': 'pride, self-conceit, over-identification'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Certain inner forces and habits systematically destroy human excellence: aging diminishes beauty, attachment-laden hope weakens steadiness, death ends life, envy corrodes dharmic practice, anger ruins prosperity, ignoble association spoils character, lust removes modest restraint, and pride can wipe out all accumulated good. The remedy implied is vigilance, self-restraint, and choosing noble company.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and counsel, Vidura addresses the Kuru court with moral instruction (nīti). This verse is part of his admonition, highlighting the psychological and ethical dangers that can derail righteous decision-making at a critical political moment.