Shloka 5
कर्णपर्व — द्विचक्रिकी युद्धपरिस्थिति: धृष्टद्युम्न- द्रौणि-संघर्षः तथा अर्जुन-रक्षणम्
Chapter 42
नीचस्य बलमेतावत् पारुष्यं यत्त्वमात्थ माम् | अशक्तो मद्गुणान् वक्तुं वल्गसे बहु दुर्मते
nīcasya balam etāvat pāruṣyaṁ yat tvam āttha mām | aśakto mad-guṇān vaktuṁ valgase bahu durmate ||
قال سنجيا: «هذا هو كل ما يملكه الوضيع من قوة: قسوة اللسان التي قذفتَ بها نحوي. يا ضعيف الرأي، إذ عجزتَ عن ذكر محاسني، أخذتَ تهذر بكثيرٍ من الكلام الشارد الذي لا صلة له بالأمر.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns abusive speech as the only ‘strength’ of a petty person: when one lacks real merit or truthful praise, one resorts to harsh words and empty bluster. Ethical restraint in speech is implied as a mark of higher character.
In the tense exchanges of the Karṇa Parva, a speaker rebukes an opponent for insulting him. The rebuke frames the insult as evidence of the other’s low nature and inability to speak meaningfully about virtues, reducing his talk to boastful, irrelevant chatter.