Vidura Character Analysis in Mahabharata

Vidura is a half-brother to Dhritarashtra and one of his most prominent advisers. Known for his wisdom, Vidura favors the Pandavas and tries to persuade Dhritarashtra not to go to war against them, but Dhritarashtra and particularly Duryodhana refuse to listen. Vidura resigns and refuses to fight in the war, but afterwards, Yudhishthira restores him to his position.

Vidura Character Timeline in Mahabharata

The timeline below shows where the character Vidura appears in Mahabharata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Kripa is a Brahmin seer from Kuru. Śakuni is a mighty fighter in his chariot. Vidura is one of the wisest men in the world. King Duryodhana, however, is foolish and... (full context)

...maid delights Vyasa when they have sex, and so he gives her a son named Vidura, who will distinguish himself with his great wisdom. (full context)

After the birth of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura, the kingdom enters the Krita Age, where everything is prosperous and peaceful. Bhishma looks after... (full context)

...of Pandu’s new wealth for sacrifices to the gods. Bhishma also finds a wife for Vidura. Altogether, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari have 100 sons, a feat that is only possible due to... (full context)

...Pandavas marry Draupadi. THE COMING OF VIDURA. Duryodhana and Karna hear about the wedding from Vidura. While Duryodhana and Karna argue to Dhritarashtra that the Pandavas should be killed before they... (full context)

...but slowly becomes convinced. He says he’ll make a decision after hearing from his advisor Vidura. (full context)

Vidura disapproves of anything involving gambling, believing it causes discord. Nevertheless, Dhritarashtra ignores his advice and... (full context)

...him through using deceit and gambling. Śakuni racks up an enormous amount of wealth before Vidura intervenes to warn Dhritarashtra about Duryodhana’s grudge against the Pandavas. He suggests that the king... (full context)

...for Draupadi. Yudhishthira loses again, and Duryodhana prepares to enslave Draupadi as a maid. Meanwhile, Vidura warns everyone not to celebrate too much because they don’t realize the consequences of their... (full context)

...continues his story of the Pandavas, who head into the forest to begin their exile. Vidura continues to advise Dhritarashtra to end the exile of the Pandavas, so Dhritarashtra eventually dismisses... (full context)

...KIRMIRA. Dhritarashtra hears a story about how Bhima killed a Rakshasa called Kirmira. He asks Vidura to tell him the story. Kirmira wanted to kill Bhima for killing his brother Baka,... (full context)

WAKEFULNESS. Dhritarashtra summons Vidura, saying he’s been disturbed ever since Samjaya’s visit to the Pauravas. Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that... (full context)

Dhritarashtra plans to receive Krishna lavishly, although Vidura warns him that no amount of opulence will sway Krishna away from the Pandavas. When... (full context)

...challenge them. Bhishma gives his own speech agreeing with Krishna, then Drona does the same. Vidura and even Dhritarashtra all tell Duryodhana that it is dharma to listen to Krishna. (full context)

...their best option is to bind Duryodhana and present him to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra sends Vidura to fetch Gandhari for advice. She agrees that Duryodhana is acting foolishly and should be... (full context)

...named Satyaki sees their conversation and figures out what they’re planning, so he goes to Vidura with a warning. Krishna hears the news and tells Dhritarashtra that if anyone tries to... (full context)

...Śakuni. Seeing no allies around, Duryodhana goes to a nearby lake to reflect on how Vidura’s predictions of a grievous loss came true. Eventually, the last surviving Kauravas (Aśvatthaman, Kritarvarma, Kripa,... (full context)

...the idea of a night-time attack. Some of his allies want to consult Dhritarashtra or Vidura first, but eventually, Aśvatthaman convinces them to go along with his plan. He, Kripa, and... (full context)

...what the Kauravas did after the death of Duryodhana. Dhritarashtra is full of grief, but Vidura tells him that the wise don’t grieve for too long because life is short and... (full context)

...how you discover the truth, and Yudhishthira opens the discussion to include his brothers and Vidura. (full context)

...doesn’t suffer any more grief than he already has. Bhima, however, remains defiant, and Dhritarashtra, Vidura, and Gandhari all dislike Bhima’s manner. (full context)

...and Gandhari can go retire into the woods and lead a life of asceticism (with Vidura, Samjaya, and a couple others). Yudhishthira is upset, believing Dhritarashtra is unhappy about something. He... (full context)

...Kunti, then they pay respects to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. There, they also meet up with Vidura, who is very thin and who has been taking asceticism to the extreme, eating nothing... (full context)