20 Facts About Vidura

1.

Vidura is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

2.

Vidura was born through Niyoga between the sage Vyasa and Parishrami, a handmaiden to the queens Ambika and Ambalika.

3.

Vidura tried to stop Yudhishthira from playing the game of dice, but his efforts were of no use.

4.

Except the prince Vikarna, Vidura was the only one who protested against the humiliation of Draupadi in the Kaurava court.

5.

In that moment, Duryodhana viciously rebuked Vidura, calling him ungrateful.

6.

Dhritarashtra moved to rebuke Duryodhana for insulting their uncle, but, remembering Vidura saying that a blind man cannot be king, holds his tongue, and instead reprimanded Duryodhana for insulting the prime minister.

7.

Unlike Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, and Karna, Vidura did not have an obligation to Hastinapura or Duryodhana, but to his family.

8.

In protest against verbal assault, Vidura resigned on the spot from the post of Prime minister and broke his bow, vowing not to take part in the Kurukshetra War.

9.

Vidura's bow was crafted by Vishnu himself, and it was destroyed at the behest of Vishnu's visit.

10.

When he went near to the body, Vidura's spirit entered Yudhishthira's body and Yudhishthira realised that he and Vidura belonged to same entity, Yama.

11.

Vidura Niti includes a few hundred verses with suggestions for personal development and the characteristics of a wise person.

12.

For example, in Chapter 33, Vidura suggests a wise person refrains from anger, exultation, pride, shame, stupefaction and vanity.

13.

Vidura has reverence and faith, he is unhampered in his endeavors by either adversity or prosperity.

14.

Vidura believes virtue and profit can go together, exerts and acts to the best of his ability, disregards nothing.

15.

Vidura is constantly learning, he seeks enlightenment from everything he experiences.

16.

Vidura is considered as the Mahachohan in the Theosophical world.

17.

Vidura was the reincarnation of Dharmaraja, more popularly known as Yamadharmaraja, who was born as a maid's son due to the curse of sage Mandavya.

18.

Vidura is held to be a paragon of truth, dutifulness, impartial judgement and steadfast dharma.

19.

Vidura is considered the embodiment of the inner consciousness of the Mahabharata.

20.

Vidura Bhiksha is a Malayalam poetry work by Ullur S Parameswarayyar.