Who is Vidura?

The third brother

Vidura was the third son of Vyasa, born to a maid of the palace rather than to a princess. Because of that he could never be king, even though everyone agreed he was the wisest of the three brothers. Tradition says he was Dharma, the god of righteousness, born as a human because of a sage’s curse.

He became the chief minister of Hastinapura, serving his half-brother Dhritarashtra.

The voice of conscience

At every turning point Vidura told the truth. He warned Dhritarashtra about Duryodhana from the day the boy was born. He spoke against the game of dice, and he was the one man in the hall who stood up for Draupadi. His advice to the king, known as the Vidura Niti, is still read as a guide to wise living.

He was also the Pandavas’ quiet protector. When Duryodhana built a house of lac, a material that burns fast, for the Pandavas to die in, Vidura warned Yudhishthira in a riddle and sent a digger to make them a tunnel. They escaped because of him.

How Vidura’s story ends (spoilers)

Vidura refused to fight in the war. Afterwards he went to the forest with Dhritarashtra. When Yudhishthira came looking for him, Vidura, thin from fasting, looked into his eyes and passed his life into him, one form of Dharma returning into the other.