Shloka 19
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 104: Nārada on Suhṛt and Nirbandha; the Viśvāmitra–Gālava Exemplum Begins
गरुत्मन् मन्यसे55त्मानं बलवन्तं सुदुर्बलम् । अलमस्मत्समक्षं ते स्तोतुमात्मानमण्डज
garutmān manyase ’tmānaṁ balavantaṁ sudurbalam | alam asmat-samakṣaṁ te stotum ātmānam aṇḍaja ||
কণ্ব বললেন—“হে গরুত্মান! তুমি প্রকৃতপক্ষে অতি দুর্বল হয়েও নিজেকে অত্যন্ত বলবান মনে কর। হে অণ্ডজ! যথেষ্ট—আমার সম্মুখে আর আত্মপ্রশংসা কোরো না।”
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse censures self-praise and deluded self-assessment. It teaches that pride (overestimating one’s strength or worth) is ethically dangerous, while humility and restraint in speech—especially before elders or the wise—protect one from harmful outcomes.
Kaṇva addresses Garuḍa sharply, telling him that despite being truly weak he imagines himself strong, and ordering him to stop praising himself in Kaṇva’s presence. The scene functions as a moral check on arrogance within a tense exchange.