ह्रीमान् हि पापं प्रद्वेष्टि तस्य श्रीर् अभिवर्धते ॥
श्रीमान् स यावद् भवति तावद् भवति पूरुषः ॥
धर्मनित्यः प्रशान्तात्मा कार्ययोगवहः सदा ॥
नाधर्मे कुरुते बुद्धिं न च पापेषु वर्तते ॥
अह्रीको वा विमूढो वा नैव स्त्री न पुनः पुमान् ॥
नास्याधिकारो धर्मे ऽस्ति यथा शूद्रस् तथैव सः ॥
ह्रीमान् अवति देवांश् च पितॄन् आत्मानम् एव च ॥
तेनामृतत्वं व्रजति सा काष्ठा पुण्यकर्मणाम् ॥
तद् इदं मयि ते दृष्टं प्रत्यक्षं मधुसूदन ॥
यथा राज्यात् परिभ्रष्टो वसामि वसतीर् इमाः ॥
hrīmān hi pāpaṃ pradveṣṭi tasya śrīr abhivardhate ||
śrīmān sa yāvad bhavati tāvad bhavati pūruṣaḥ ||
dharmanityaḥ praśāntātmā kāryayogavahaḥ sadā ||
nādharme kurute buddhiṃ na ca pāpeṣu vartate ||
ahrīko vā vimūḍho vā naiva strī na punaḥ pumān ||
nāsyādhikāro dharme 'sti yathā śūdras tathaiva saḥ ||
hrīmān avati devāṃś ca pitṝn ātmānam eva ca ||
tenāmṛtatvaṃ vrajati sā kāṣṭhā puṇyakarmaṇām ||
tad idaṃ mayi te dṛṣṭaṃ pratyakṣaṃ madhusūdana ||
yathā rājyāt paribhraṣṭo vasāmi vasatīr imāḥ ||
The one who possesses modesty hates evil, and his fortune increases; a man of glory becomes truly a man only in the measure that he is glorious. He who is ever constant in dharma, calm in spirit, always devoted to his proper task, sets his mind neither on unrighteousness nor dwells in sin. One shameless or deluded — whether man or woman — has no claim upon dharma at all; such a one is just like a shudra. The one possessing modesty protects the gods, the ancestors, and himself, and through that he attains immortality — that is the extreme limit of virtuous deeds. This, O Madhusudana, you have seen with your own eyes in me — how, cast down from my kingdom, I now dwell in these dwellings.
f24caddb5166 · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:56:09 AM UTC
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This passage develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace unfolds even as war draws near and seems unavoidable. Key themes: dharma. Dharma here comes to light through speech, the choice of envoys, faithfulness to promises, and the responsibility kings bear for the consequences of their decisions.