Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
येषां हि वृत्तं व्यथते न योनि- श्षित्तप्रसादेन चरन्ति धर्मम् । ते कीर्तिमिच्छन्ति कुले विशिष्टां त्यक्तानृतास्तानि महाकुलानि
yeṣāṃ hi vṛttaṃ vyathate na yoni-ś citta-prasādena caranti dharmam | te kīrtim icchanti kule viśiṣṭāṃ tyaktānṛtās tāni mahākulāni ||
维杜罗说道:那些善行不曾懈怠、不以自身过失使父母忧苦、以安宁欢悦之心奉行达摩,并舍弃虚妄而求宗族卓著清名的家族——唯有这样的家族,才是真正伟大而高贵的宗族。
विदुर उवाच
True nobility is defined by steady good conduct, not harming one’s parents through one’s faults, practicing dharma with a calm mind, and renouncing falsehood; such virtues alone make a lineage genuinely ‘great.’
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel (nīti) in the tense pre-war context, emphasizing ethical standards and inner discipline as the real markers of high birth and lasting reputation.