Shloka 31
Dhruva Uses the Nārāyaṇāstra; Manu Checks His Wrath and Teaches Dharma
संयच्छ रोषं भद्रं ते प्रतीपं श्रेयसां परम् । श्रुतेन भूयसा राजन्नगदेन यथामयम् ॥ ३१ ॥
saṁyaccha roṣaṁ bhadraṁ te pratīpaṁ śreyasāṁ param śrutena bhūyasā rājann agadena yathāmayam
Restrain your anger; may auspiciousness be yours. O King, anger is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual good. What I have told you at length is like medicine for a disease—please follow this instruction.
Dhruva Mahārāja was a liberated soul, and actually he was not angry with anyone. But because he was the ruler, it was his duty to become angry for some time in order to keep law and order in the state. His brother, Uttama, was without fault, yet he was killed by one of the Yakṣas. It was the duty of Dhruva Mahārāja to kill the offender (life for life) because Dhruva was the king. When the challenge came, Dhruva Mahārāja fought vehemently and punished the Yakṣas sufficiently. But anger is such that if one increases it, it increases unlimitedly. In order that Dhruva Mahārāja’s kingly anger not exceed the limit, Manu was kind enough to check his grandson. Dhruva Mahārāja could understand the purpose of his grandfather, and he immediately stopped the fighting. The words śrutena bhūyasā, “by constantly hearing,” are very important in this verse. By constantly hearing about devotional service, one can check the force of anger, which is detrimental to the process of devotional service. Śrīla Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that the constant hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is the panacea for all material diseases. Everyone, therefore, should hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. By hearing one can always remain in equilibrium, and thus his progress in spiritual life will not be hampered.
FAQs
This verse teaches that anger is the greatest enemy of one’s true welfare and should be restrained, especially by abundant hearing of sacred teachings (śravaṇa).
Dhruva was provoked by opponents; Manu counseled him that anger ruins auspicious progress and that scriptural hearing acts like medicine to cure this inner “disease.”
When anger rises, pause and redirect the mind through regular listening/reading of Bhagavatam and other śāstra, using that wisdom as an antidote to reactive speech and action.