Vidura Niti

Dadi: "Guddu beta, imagine you couldn't sleep one night. Your mind was filled with worry about a terrible mistake you were about to make. Who would you call to help calm your fears?"

Guddu: "Maybe you, Dadi? Or someone very wise?"

Dadi: "That's exactly what the blind king Dhritarashtra did. On the night before messages of war arrived, he couldn't sleep. His body burned with anxiety. So he called for his brother Vidura - the wisest man in the kingdom."

Guddu: "Did Vidura give him sleeping medicine?"

Dadi: "Ha! Something much better - wisdom! When Vidura arrived, he asked the king a clever question: "Sleeplessness usually troubles four types of people - a thief, a lustful person, someone who lost all their wealth, and someone weak who was attacked by the strong. I hope none of these describe you, O king?""

Guddu: "That's a tricky question!"

Dadi: "Very tricky. Because Dhritarashtra was guilty of at least one of these - he had helped steal the Pandavas' kingdom. But instead of scolding him directly, Vidura began sharing hundreds of wise sayings about life."

Guddu: "What kind of things did he say?"

Dadi: "Oh, Guddu, his wisdom covered everything! About smart people, he said: "A truly learned person controls their anger, pride, and fear. They don't celebrate too much in victory or collapse in defeat. They listen carefully, think deeply, and then act with purpose.""

Guddu: "That sounds like good advice for tests!"

Dadi: "Indeed! And about foolish people, Vidura said: "A fool is proud despite being uneducated, thinks they deserve things without working for them, speaks without being asked, trusts untrustworthy people, and looks for faults in others while ignoring their own.""

Guddu: "Ouch! I think I know some people like that."

Dadi: "We all do, beta - and sometimes that person is ourselves! Vidura also gave a beautiful image: "The body is like a chariot. The soul is the driver. The senses are the horses. If the horses are well-trained, the journey is peaceful. If not, the chariot crashes.""

Guddu: "So we need to train our senses like horses?"

Dadi: "Exactly! Control your eyes from seeing bad things, your ears from listening to gossip, your tongue from speaking cruelly. That's how you drive your life chariot safely."

Guddu: "Did Vidura talk about words too?"

Dadi: "One of his most powerful teachings! He said: "Arrows and darts can be pulled out of the body and it heals. But the arrows of cruel words cannot be extracted from the heart. They wound forever.""

Guddu: "So words hurt more than weapons?"

Dadi: "Often yes. That's why we must be so careful with what we say. Vidura also taught about forgiveness - he called it both the virtue of the weak and the ornament of the strong."

Guddu: "How can it be both?"

Dadi: "For weak people, forgiveness is their only option - they can't fight back anyway. But when a strong person forgives, it becomes beautiful - like a crown they choose to wear. Anyone can take revenge; only the strong can choose mercy."

Guddu: "Did the king feel better after all this?"

Dadi: "His mind changed! He actually wanted to give the Pandavas their kingdom back. But then he said something tragic: "I have no control over Duryodhana.""

Guddu: "He knew what was right but couldn't do it?"

Dadi: "The saddest kind of person, beta - one who knows truth but lacks courage to act on it. Eventually, Dhritarashtra asked about spiritual matters, but Vidura refused to teach those, saying he wasn't qualified as the son of a servant woman."

Guddu: "But he was the wisest person in the kingdom!"

Dadi: "True humility, beta. Instead, Vidura summoned the divine sage Sanatsujata to teach the king about immortality and ultimate reality."

Guddu: "Dadi, is Vidura's wisdom still useful today?"

Dadi: "These five hundred verses are studied even now! They teach leadership, relationships, how to find true friends, how to spot flatterers, how to control yourself, how to find happiness. Human nature hasn't changed in thousands of years."

Guddu: "Then maybe I should write down some of these and read them before exams!"

Dadi: "That's very wise, beta. Remember what Vidura said - the wise person is constantly learning, seeking wisdom from every experience. Even a sleepless night can become a classroom."