Shloka 91
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
प्राज्ञस्तु जल्पतां पुंसां श्रुत्वा वाच: शुभाशुभा: । गुणवद् वाक्यमादत्ते हंस: क्षीरमिवाम्भस:,परंतु विद्वान् पुरुष दूसरे वक्ताओंके शुभाशुभ वचनको सुनकर उनमेंसे गुणयुक्त बातोंको ही अपनाता है, ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे हंस पानीको छोड़कर केवल दूध ग्रहण कर लेता है
prājñas tu jalpatāṁ puṁsāṁ śrutvā vācaḥ śubhāśubhāḥ | guṇavad vākyam ādatte haṁsaḥ kṣīram ivāmbhasaḥ ||
Dushyanta said: “A wise man, having heard the words of various speakers—whether auspicious or inauspicious—accepts only what is truly meritorious. He does so like a swan that, leaving aside the water, takes only the milk.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches विवेक (discernment): a wise person listens widely but adopts only what is guṇavat—ethically sound and truly beneficial—without being carried away by the mixture of praise, blame, good counsel, or harmful talk.
Duṣyanta is speaking in a reflective, didactic tone, using the well-known haṁsa metaphor to justify selective acceptance of counsel: from the many words he hears, he will take only the valuable essence, just as the swan is said to take milk while leaving water.