Shloka 97
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
अन्तेषु रेमिरे धीरा न ते मध्येषु रेमिरे । अन्तप्राप्तिं सुखं प्राहुर्द:खमन्तरमेतयो:
anteṣu remire dhīrā na te madhyeṣu remire | antaprāptiṁ sukhaṁ prāhur duḥkham antaram etayoḥ ||
ধীর পুরুষেরা অন্তিম অবস্থাতেই আনন্দ করে, মধ্য অবস্থায় নয়। তারা বলে—অন্তপ্রাপ্তিই সুখ, আর এই দুয়ের মধ্যবর্তী অন্তরালই দুঃখ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True happiness lies in attaining the final, settled end-state (the fruit of disciplined living and dharma), not in the unstable middle phase of pleasure. The ‘in-between’—the oscillation of pursuit, craving, and partial satisfaction—is identified as suffering.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a reflective maxim within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled context: he contrasts the wise (dhīra) who endure duty’s hardships for a higher culmination, with those attached to ordinary sense-pleasures who remain fixated on transient enjoyment.