Shloka 11
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 52: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava Strength and the Case for Restraint
बहुश्रुतः कृतात्मा च वृद्धसेवी जितेन्द्रिय: । त॑ सर्वगुणसम्पन्न॑ं समिद्धमिव पावकम्
bahuśrutaḥ kṛtātmā ca vṛddhasevī jitendriyaḥ | taṁ sarvaguṇasampannaṁ samiddham iva pāvakam ||
ধৃতরাষ্ট্র বললেন—“তিনি বহুশ্রুত, আত্মসংযমী, বৃদ্ধসেবী ও ইন্দ্রিয়জয়ী—সর্বগুণসম্পন্ন, সুপ্রজ্বলিত অগ্নির ন্যায় দীপ্তিমান।”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal noble character: learning must be joined with inner discipline, service to elders, and mastery of the senses; such integrated virtue shines outward, compared to a blazing, purifying fire.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes (and commends) a person of exemplary qualities, using a vivid simile—like a well-kindled fire—to emphasize the visible power of virtue and self-control in a leader or counselor.