Shloka 27
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
आत्मानमसमाधाय समाधित्सति यः परान् | विषयेष्विन्द्रियवशं मानवा: प्रहसन्ति तम्
ātmānam asamādhāya samādhitsati yaḥ parān | viṣayeṣv indriyavaśaṃ mānavāḥ prahasanti tam ||
Humatsena sprach: „Wer sich selbst nicht gesammelt hat, wer wankelmütig ist und inmitten der Sinnesobjekte den Sinnen dient—wenn er andere zur Selbstbeherrschung und rechten Lebensführung belehren will, wird er von den Menschen nur ausgelacht.“
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral instruction gains authority only when grounded in personal discipline. One who is ruled by sense-pleasures and lacks inner composure cannot credibly teach restraint or dharma; such preaching invites ridicule.
Humatsena is offering an ethical observation within the Shanti Parva’s didactic discourse: he contrasts outward preaching with inward mastery, warning that a person (especially a ruler) who cannot govern himself cannot effectively guide others.