Vidura Niti, a profound part of the Mahabharata, is an enduring treasure of wisdom that derives its authority from the sage Vidura, who served as the advisor to the Kuru dynasty. Vidura Niti contains Vidura’s wisdom, probable ethics and perception of human psychology as presented to the blind King Dhritarashtra in the Udyoga Parva (Chapters 33-40) – insight into human desires, motivations and actions. The advice Vidura gives provides the reader/study with the ability to discern the intentions hidden behind actions, something which is crucial for today’s world. Out of the many pearls of wisdom in Vidura Niti, there is one which is particularly clear in addressing human motivations, as well as the ramifications of those motives:
Sanskrit Verse (Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva, 33.40):
न संनादति नोदति न च संनादति क्वचित् ।
न चापि परिसर्पति यथा सर्पः तथैव सः ॥
Transliteration:
Na sannādati nodati na ca sannādati kvacit,
Na cāpi parisarpatī yathā sarpaḥ tathaiva saḥ.
English Translation:
“He neither roars nor cries, nor does he make any loud noise anywhere, but moves silently like a snake—such is the nature of that person.”
Vidura employs the metaphor of a snake to characterize a person whose motivations are concealed and whose actions are planned. Such a person does not declare their intentions through loud proclamations or emotional flurries. Instead, they move subtly while overshadowing or masking their actual objectives. They observe or affect circumstances to advantage their designs. This verse provides a good application of vigilance to recognize the unexplained motives of others, as their actions do not reveal their intentions.
Current Relavance
Vidura’s wisdom about human behaviour is immensely relevant in a complex world. Personal relationships, work environments, politics, and global affairs illustrate how people may actively hide their real intentions. The verse acts as a guiding cautionary notice about how to deal with people who may operate with unknown intentions. Discerning real intentionality from behaviour is a vital skill set for any individual and leaders today, especially in an age of social media, corporate strategy, and geopolitics.
- Personal Relationships
In personal relationships, someone may possess a motive, based on societal values, personal insecurities, or their own calculated stratagem, that may not have an apparent display of that truth. A friend or colleague may ostensibly appear to support you while really wanting to sabotage you out of envy or ambition. Applying Vidura’s analogy of a snake, one should avoid concentrating only on the language and instead focus on the behaviours – patterns, consistency, body language, idiosyncratic artefacts, etc. Current mental health psychology also iterates non-verbal communication and fully demonstrates it with recent studies which suggest up to 80 percent of human communication is non-verbal. So the more emphasis you can place on action and behaviours rather than language and words, the closer you will get to appreciate someone’s true intentionality.
2. Office Politics
The world of work offers many examples of deliberate behaviour. Managers or employees may cut others down while appearing help full in pursuit of their own goals, like getting a promotion or spitefully scouring out a competitor. Vidura’s warning about those that come in “silently like a snake” suggests we need to develop emotional intelligence and awareness of our environment. For example, a manager that is building influence without someone noticing ambition could potential be priming to position them self for some choice opportunity. Knowing this will help you to take action as a professional, create alliances, or protect your interests.
3. Politics and Society
Vidura’s insights in the world of politics are equally valuable. Politicians and policymakers often embellish their intentions with big talk that can engender great public support. For that reason, a policy that came across as being for ‘the people,’ has the potential to primarily benefit corporations or obtain political power. The verse encourages citizens to get beyond talks and promises and to evaluate the action and its results. In an environment of misinformation, where social media is producing the curated narrative, this verse encourages us to engage discernment beyond superficial claims and to look for evidence of intention through consistent behaviour.
4. Global and Ethical Implications
Nations and organizations often engage in diplomacy or negotiations with hidden agendas on a global scale. Vidura’s snake analogy refers to organizations or entities that act quietly behind the scenes like a snake appealing to us, whether negotiating trade treaties, climate deals, or international cooperation and politics. We don’t yet know the others or what their motives are. Most of the time all we can rely on are behaviours – patterns of behaviours, past actions, economic interests, geopolitical strategies or the like – rather than trusting their claims at face value. Ethically, Vidura counsels, we have to figure out a way to create a balance between trusting others and being protective of ourselves. So he advises we act towards others in goodwill, but not be gullible or foolish.
Importance in Modern Life
Vidura Niti’s attention to understanding human motives encourages critical thinking, which is essential in the information age. We now find ourselves in a place where it is more difficult than ever to separate truth from deception, increasingly with the rise of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and algorithmic segmentation of reality. Vidura’s insight presents a timeless approach to examining our ability to discern what motives may be at play and challenge the way we think about the way we observe and conclude about others.
The verse also allows us to focus on our own awareness. Examining the motives of others makes us question our own behaviour. Are we honest, or do we also act “like a snake, “as well? This awareness fosters our integrity, which greatly enhances the authenticity factor upon which each of us builds out our activities within our social, professional and personal brands enhancing the organization of our reflections upon which our values and the societal emergence of ethical leadership and personal mastery.
Practical Applications
Critical Inventory: Learn to recognize differences between the words people say and the actions they take. To illustrate, someone professing loyalty, but who on numerous occasions betrays or undermines another person, may likely reveal their intention in how they act.
Emotional Intelligence: Cultivate the ability to notice nuanced ways of saying things e.g. tone of voice, hesitation, avoidance etc.,. which often reveal hidden intentions.
Pragmatic Patience: Vidura’s guidance implies a certain level of patience in forming a judgment. On more than one occasion, I have reacted impulsively to the actions of others, when had I only been patient and watched their actions over a longer period of time, I may have realised a set of motives that were different.
Ethical Caution: Using the ethic of care is vital when dealing with others in a professional or social context, you should be aware of others possible manipulative actions whilst still communicating ethically.
In considering Vidura’s wisdom, its very important to remember the application requires a level of balance. Too much focus on analysing the intentions of people will breed paranoia, mistrust, which will damage relationships and cooperation in groups. The verse is not a call to suspect everyone; instead it is an exercise in exercising prudent judgement. Furthermore, there are cultural differences which exist in how people communicate, and while we may sometimes find behaviours “silent” their “silence” may in fact be a common means of communication in their culture.
Vidura Niti’s perspective on human nature, as expressed in the verse about the silent snake, helps us to navigate the difficult seas of human motivations. In a world where deceptive appearances are a regular feature, this teaching helps us to look past the surface, reflect on actions, and make the best decisions available. Combine the old wisdom contained in this teaching with modern emotional intelligence and we can establish certainty, build robust relationships, and work toward a world of clarity and honesty. Vidura further reminds us that real understanding cannot be achieved from loud statements but comes about through quiet observation, mindful reflection, and careful analysis.
“Unravel the motives behind actions with Vidura Niti’s timeless wisdom—because in a world of whispers, only the wise see the snake.”
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