Shloka 15
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
मुहूर्त ज्वलितं श्रेयो न च धूमायितं चिरम् । मा ह सम कस्यचिद् गेहे जनि राज्ञ: खरो मृदु:
muhūrtaṃ jvalitaṃ śreyo na ca dhūmāyitaṃ ciram | mā ha sama kasyacid gehe jani rājñaḥ kharo mṛduḥ ||
قال فايُو: «خيرٌ أن تتلألأ نارًا متقدة ولو لبرهة، من أن تظلّ زمنًا طويلًا تُخامِد وتُخرج الدخان وحده. وليتَه لا يقع أبدًا أن يُولد في بيتِ ملكٍ رجلٌ شديدُ القسوة أو شديدُ اللين.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True excellence is like a clear flame—decisive and luminous—even if brief; prolonged, smoky smouldering suggests indecision and ineffective action. For rulers, the verse warns against extremes of temperament: excessive harshness becomes cruelty, while excessive softness becomes weakness; both harm governance and dharma.
Vāyudeva is giving pointed counsel in the Udyoga Parva context, where questions of policy, resolve, and royal conduct are urgent. He uses a fire metaphor to urge clarity and effectiveness, then applies it to kingship by cautioning that a king’s household should not produce men of extreme harshness or extreme gentleness.