Vidura advises the Pandavas and gives them leave to depart
As the Pandavas prepare to walk into the forest, Vidura intervenes. He offers sanctuary to their aged mother, Kunti, then delivers a fierce, poetic exhortation: reminding the brothers of their unique strengths, their divine teachers, and the elemental virtues they must embody to survive and return victorious.
After Yudhishthira’s farewell, Vidura spoke. He was the uncle whose counsel was always rooted in dharma, the one who had warned against the dice game from the start. Now, as his nephews turned to leave, he addressed them with a voice that blended practical care with a warrior’s inspiration.
His first concern was their mother. “Arya Pritha is a princess,” he said. “She should not go to the forest. She is delicate and old and has always been used to comfort. The illustrious one will remain in my house and be shown proper homage.” It was a declaration, not a request. Kunti would have refuge. The brothers could go into hardship knowing their mother was safe.
Then he turned to the brothers themselves, his words becoming a litany of their collective power. “O Yudhishthira! Know this to be my view that one who has been vanquished against dharma, never suffers from that defeat.” The loss in the dice game was adharma — against cosmic law. Therefore, it carried no true stain and no lasting power over them.
He named their virtues, one by one, like a commander reviewing an invincible army. “You know dharma. Dhananjaya is knowledgeable in war. Bhimasena is the slayer of enemies. Nakula is one who collects wealth. Sahadeva is the one who administers.” He named their priest, Dhoumya, supreme among those who know the brahman. He named Draupadi, who “always follows the path of dharma and is skilled in the ways of dharma and artha.” Then he named their greatest, most unassailable strength: “You love one another and always have kind words for each other. Because you are satisfied, you cannot be divided by enemies. This tranquillity brings welfare of every kind. No enemy can attack it, even if he is the equal of Shakra.”
He reminded them they were not unprepared. Their education had come from the greatest sages of the age. “In ancient times, when you lived in the Himalayas, Meru-Savarni instructed you. So did Krishna Dvaipayana in the city of Varanavata, Rama on the peak of Mount Bhrigu and Shambhu by the Drishadvati. Near Anjana, you have heard maharshi Asita.” Their current guides were Dhoumya and the celestial sage Narada, “who is always a witness.” “Do not give up the insight and intelligence that the rishis show homage to.”
His final exhortation was a call to embody the gods and the elements themselves. “Set your minds on victory with Indra’s resolution, Yama’s control over anger, Kubera’s charity and Varuna’s self-control. In giving up one’s self, you are like the moon.” He told them to draw strength from the world: “Obtain the sustenance of life from the water, forbearance from the earth, energy from the sun’s disc and strength from the wind. Know that your own prosperity is due to the elements.”
He blessed them. “May you be fortunate. May you be free from disease. I will see you return.” And then, as the one elder whose authority was untarnished by the day’s events, he gave them the formal permission to depart. “O Kounteya! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! I give you leave to depart. May you find what is good for you. I will see you again when you return, successful and content.”
Yudhishthira, whose valour was his truth, replied, “Thus shall it be.” He bowed to Bhishma and Drona. Then he turned and went away, his brothers and Draupadi following, leaving the palace for the long road to the forest.