तं वै राजा सत्यधृतिर् महात्मा; अजातशत्रुर् विदुरं यथावत् ॥
पूजापूर्वं प्रतिगृह्याजमीढस्; ततो ऽपृच्छद् धृतराष्ट्रं सपुत्रम् ॥
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
विज्ञायते ते मनसो न प्रहर्षः; कच्चित् क्षत्तः कुशलेनागतो ऽसि ॥
कच्चित् पुत्राः स्थविरस्यानुलोमा; वशानुगाश् चापि विशो ऽपि कच्चित् ॥
विदुर उवाच
राजा महात्मा कुशली सपुत्र; आस्ते वृतो ज्ञातिभिर् इन्द्रकल्पैः ॥
प्रीतो राजन् पुत्रगणैर् विनीतैर्; विशोक एवात्मरतिर् दृढात्मा ॥
taṃ vai rājā satyadhṛtir mahātmā; ajātaśatrur viduraṃ yathāvat ||
pūjāpūrvaṃ pratigṛhyājamīḍhas; tato 'pṛcchad dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ saputram ||
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
vijñāyate te manaso na praharṣaḥ; kaccit kṣattaḥ kuśalenāgato 'si ||
kaccit putrāḥ sthavirasyānulomā; vaśānugāś cāpi viśo 'pi kaccit ||
vidura uvāca
rājā mahātmā kuśalī saputra; āste vṛto jñātibhir indrakalpaiḥ ||
prīto rājan putragaṇair vinītair; viśoka evātmaratir dṛḍhātmā ||
The king, firm in truth, great-souled Ajatashatru, descendant of Ajamidha, having duly received Vidura with honor, asked him about Dhritarashtra and his sons: 'No joy is discerned in your mind; have you come in well-being, O Kshattri? Are the sons obedient and submissive to the elder, and do the subjects prosper? Is the great-souled king well, together with his sons, surrounded by kinsmen equal to Indra, rejoicing in the host of his obedient sons, free from sorrow, finding joy in himself, firm of spirit?'
1f60125bd7e5 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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Yudhishthira notices at once: 'no joy is discerned in your mind.' This attentive care for his guest is telling: the righteous man reads another's trouble from his face before asking anything of his own. And his first question concerns the well-being of others—of Dhritarashtra and his sons—without a trace of hostility toward those who are plotting against him. The verse teaches that a pure heart sees a brother even in an enemy: Yudhishthira sincerely wishes good to the very house that is preparing his ruin. Attentiveness to another's grief and goodwill even toward those who scheme against him are marks of the righteousness that shines in him; and against it, the treachery soon to be shown by those who receive him stands all the darker.