Vidur Niti is a part of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic authored by Krishna Dvaipayana Ved Vyasa. It spans chapters 33 to 40 of the Udyoga Parva and comprises 588 Sanskrit shlokas.
Vidur, an incarnation of Yama (the god of justice), served as the Prime Minister of the Hastinapur kingdom. On the eve of the Mahabharata war between the Kauravas and Pandavas, King Dhritarashtra-troubled and unable to sleep-summoned Vidur at midnight for counsel. He requested a discourse on the ethics of governance. The dialogue continued until 4 a.m. Although the king agreed with Vidur's insights, he felt powerless to act on them due to the influence of his eldest son Duryodhana, who held the real power.
The 588 shlokas in Vidur Niti have been thematically classified into various categories, including:
Qualities of Good, Bad, and Vicious Individuals
Ethical Logic and Wisdom
Traits of Effective Kings and Leaders
Contemporary Management Topics such as self-control, oral communication, committee systems, stress management, leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, and policy strategies.
Six case studies have also been derived from the text, along with sections on family management and managing friendships.
This research project, conducted under the Ved Vyasa Chair at Shri Govind Guru University, Godhra, Gujarat, aims to establish that Vidur, as early as 3200 BCE, had a profound understanding of governance and management principles and articulated them with ethical clarity and logical reasoning.
Each Sanskrit shloka in this book is followed by Roman transliteration and an English commentary for better understanding. A chapter-wise summary is provided at the end for ease of revision.
Vidur was Prime Minister of King Dhritrashtra of Hastinapur kingdom. His preachings to king Dhritrashtra just one night before Mahabharata war are popularly called Vidur Niti. These are found in Udyog Parva of the Mahabharata epic in chapters 33-40. Total 588 Sanskrit verses containing ethics or dharma or duty and policy advice are there. Several slokas reveal numerical logical argumentation power of Vidur.
Vidur was an expert in ethics or dharma. He was believed to be incarnation of Yama due to curse given by Mandavya risti to Yama. His prechings were appreciated by the king Dhritrashtra but he failed to implement them due to his attachment to his eldest son Duryodhana. This led to a devastating war killing 100 Kaurava brothers and lakhs of other warriors. War was for Dharma. It was protected. Pandavas won it with the strategic advice of Lord Krishna and rule of ethics headed by Ajatshatru king Yudhishthira was established after winning the war.
The present research is based on classification of 588 verses into various topics and sub-topics of management. Certain principles of good and bad governance based on ethics have been derived. This may be found of practical use for the political and corporate governance both. Individuals may also be benefited by this research work. They would be helped in making right ethical choice in their life to attain happiness and peace in this life and after death.
Ample scope for further researches is also there. Hypotheses derived from these principles may be put to empirical test to examine their validity.
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