वादं तु यो न प्रवदेन् न वादयेद्; यो नाहतः प्रतिहन्यान् न घातयेत् ॥
यो हन्तुकामस्य न पापम् इच्छेत्; तस्मै देवाः स्पृहयन्त्य् आगताय ॥
अव्याहृतं व्याहृताच् छ्रेय आहुः; सत्यं वदेद् व्याहृतं तद् द्वितीयम् ॥
प्रियं वदेद् व्याहृतं तत् तृतीयं; धर्म्यं वदेद् व्याहृतं तच् चतुर्थम् ॥
यादृशैः संविवदते यादृशांश् चोपसेवते ॥
यादृग् इच्छेच् च भवितुं तादृग् भवति पूरुषः ॥
यतो यतो निवर्तते ततस् ततो विमुच्यते ॥
निवर्तनाद् धि सर्वतो न वेत्ति दुःखम् अण्व् अपि ॥
न जीयते नोत जिगीषते ऽन्यान्; न वैरकृच् चाप्रतिघातकश् च ॥
निन्दाप्रशंसासु समस्वभावो; न शोचते हृष्यति नैव चायम् ॥
vādaṃ tu yo na pravaden na vādayed; yo nāhataḥ pratihanyān na ghātayet ||
yo hantukāmasya na pāpam icchet; tasmai devāḥ spṛhayanty āgatāya ||
avyāhṛtaṃ vyāhṛtāc chreya āhuḥ; satyaṃ vaded vyāhṛtaṃ tad dvitīyam ||
priyaṃ vaded vyāhṛtaṃ tat tṛtīyaṃ; dharmyaṃ vaded vyāhṛtaṃ tac caturtham ||
yādṛśaiḥ saṃvivadate yādṛśāṃś copasevate ||
yādṛg icchec ca bhavituṃ tādṛg bhavati pūruṣaḥ ||
yato yato nivartate tatas tato vimucyate ||
nivartanād dhi sarvato na vetti duḥkham aṇv api ||
na jīyate nota jigīṣate 'nyān; na vairakṛc cāpratighātakaś ca ||
nindāpraśaṃsāsu samasvabhāvo; na śocate hṛṣyati naiva cāyam ||
One who is disposed to hope in a good man, or in a bad one, or in an ascetic of merit, or even in a thief, soon takes on the color of his companion, as cloth takes on the color of the dye in which it is steeped. Those very gods long for the company of one who, when stung by reproach, does not answer it himself and does not have another answer it, or who, when struck, does not strike back himself and does not cause another to do so, and who wishes no harm at all, even the least, to one who does him harm. It is said that silence is better than speech; if one must speak, it is better to speak the truth; if one speaks the truth, it is better to say what is pleasant; and if one must say what is pleasant, it is better to say what accords with dharma. A man becomes exactly like the one with whom he lives, or the one he looks up to, or the one he wishes to become. A man is freed from those things from which he abstains, and if he abstains from everything, he does not feel even the least suffering.
d50a650973e6 · प्रकाशित 17 जुल॰ 2026, 4:02:44 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
This passage (5.36.11-15) develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort for peace is already underway against the backdrop of an unavoidable war. Here dharma reveals itself through speech, the choice of an embassy, faithfulness to one's word, and the responsibility of kings for the consequences of their decisions.