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 ||
ক্ষণমাত্র জ্বলে ওঠাই শ্রেয়; দীর্ঘকাল শুধু ধোঁয়া দিয়ে জ্বলা নয়। আর কোনো রাজার গৃহে যেন এমন পুরুষের জন্ম না হয়, যে হয় অতিশয় কঠোর, নয়তো অতিশয় কোমল।
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.