Sudhanva

Vidura tells Dhritarashtra an ancient story about the Indra among the asuras instructing Sudhanva for the welfare of his son. The teaching lays out the qualities of a wise king: giving up desire and anger, donating to the worthy, avoiding vices, and practicing self-control and purity — a model for Dhritarashtra to emulate.

Dhritarashtra asks Vidura to speak words about dharma and supreme welfare. Vidura delivers an extensive discourse on the marks of the learned and the stupid, enumerating vices and virtues, and recounts an ancient history about the asura Indra instructing Sudhanva for his son's welfare. He concludes by reminding Dhritarashtra that the Pandavas are waiting for his instructions and that returning their kingdom will bring him happiness and divine approval.

A woman asks Virochana whether brahmanas or asuras are superior, sparking a confrontation. Virochana and the brahmana Sudhanva stake their lives on the answer and go to Prahlada for judgment — where the question of who is superior becomes a question of who will tell the truth.

Dhritarashtra asks for more counsel, unsatisfied with what he has already heard. Vidura responds with an ancient story about Virochana and Sudhanva — a tale of pride, truth, and the cost of falsehood — and then delivers a cascade of ethical warnings about the dangers of favoring Duryodhana over the Pandavas.