Shloka 28
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
नेदृशं बन्धुमासाद्य बान्धव: सुखमेधते । जिस दुर्बल मनुष्यका शत्रुपक्षेके लोग अभिनन्दन करते हों
nedṛśaṃ bandhum āsādya bāndhavaḥ sukham edhate |
得此等亲族，家人便难以真正安乐兴盛。那等孱弱之人，连敌方一党亦为之喝彩；为众人所鄙；坐具衣服皆属下贱；得微利便惊喜自足；处处卑下琐屑、心性鄙陋——如此“亲族”非但不能为依怙，反成羞辱与忧患之因；故其宗亲不因他而昌盛。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A family’s welfare depends not merely on having relatives, but on their character and conduct. An unworthy, servile, and contemptible kinsman—content with paltry gains and lacking dignity—brings no real support or happiness to his own people.
Vāyudeva is describing, in admonitory terms, the kind of person whose presence as a ‘relative’ becomes a liability. The verse functions as a moral characterization within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, where virtues and failings are weighed before decisive action.