Devanagari
अग्निर्निसृष्टो दत्तश्च गरो दाराश्च
दूषिता: ।
हृतं क्षेत्रं धनं येषां तद्दत्तैरसुभि: कियत् ॥ २४ ॥
Verse text
agnir nisṛṣṭo dattaś ca
garo dārāś ca dūṣitāḥ
hṛtaṁ kṣetraṁ dhanaṁ yeṣāṁ
tad-dattair asubhiḥ kiyat
Synonyms
agniḥ
—
fire
;
nisṛṣṭaḥ
—
set
;
dattaḥ
—
given
;
ca
—
and
;
garaḥ
—
poison
;
dārāḥ
—
married wife
;
ca
—
and
;
dūṣitāḥ
—
insulted
;
hṛtam
—
usurped
;
kṣetram
—
kingdom
;
dhanam
—
wealth
;
yeṣām
—
of those
;
tat
—
their
;
dattaiḥ
—
given by
;
asubhiḥ
—
subsisting
;
kiyat
—
is unnecessary .
Translation
There is no need to live a degraded life and subsist on the charity of those whom you tried to kill by arson and poisoning. You also insulted their married wife and usurped their kingdom and wealth.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What is the use of life maintained by food given by those whom you tried to burn, poison, whose wife you insulted, and whose land and wealth you stole?
Purport
The system of
varṇāśrama
religion sets aside a part of one’s life completely for the purpose of self-realization and attainment of salvation in the human form of life. That is a routine division of life, but persons like Dhṛtarāṣṭra, even at their weary ripened age, want to stay home, even in a degraded condition of accepting charity from enemies. Vidura wanted to point this out and impressed upon him that it was better to die like his sons than accept such humiliating charity. Five thousand years ago there was one Dhṛtarāṣṭra, but at the present moment there are Dhṛtarāṣṭras in every home. Politicians especially do not retire from political activities unless they are dragged by the cruel hand of death or killed by some opposing element. To stick to family life to the end of one’s human life is the grossest type of degradation and there is an absolute need for the Viduras to educate such Dhṛtarāṣṭras, even at the present moment.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What is the use (kiyat) of life (asubhiḥ) attained by food given by them (tad-dattaiḥ).