The half-brother kept from the throne by his mother's rank, who gives the correct advice at every turn and is overruled at every turn.
Appears in
The birth of the Kuru princes — A blind heir, a pale one and a renunciant's vow leave the succession contested before any of the cousins can walk.
The house of lac — A guest house built to burn: the first attempt on the Pandavas' lives, and the escape that lets them be thought dead.
The game of dice — A king who cannot refuse a challenge plays against a loaded opponent, and stakes his brothers, his wife and himself.
Draupadi in the assembly — Dragged into a full court, the queen puts a question of law to the elders — and every one of them declines to answer it.
Vidura's counsel on a sleepless night — A king who cannot sleep sends for the half-brother he has ignored all his life, and is told exactly what to do while there is time to do it
Embodies
Counsel that goes unheeded — Someone in the room always says exactly what should be done, is heard politely, and is ignored — and the epic records the advice each time
The impossible choice — Not good against evil, but duty against duty — every open course breaks an obligation the chooser also owes.
Questions to explore
Vidura is right about the house of lac and right about the dice game and is ignored both times — why does the epic keep him in the room?
Does his birth explain why his counsel carries no weight, or is the text making a different point?
