Shloka 79
Yayāti’s Request for Youth: Sons’ Refusals and Pūru’s Acceptance (ययातेः यौवन-विनिमयः)
(अवमानमवाप्रोति शनैर्नीचेषु सड़त: । वाक्सायका वदनान्निष्पतन्ति यैराहत: शोचति रात्र्यहानि । शनैर्दु:खं शस्त्रविषाग्निजातं तान् पण्डितो नावसजेत् परेषु ।। संरोहति शरैरविद्धं वनं परशुना हतम् | वाचा दुरुक्तं बीभत्सं न संरोहति वाक्क्षतम् ।।) नीच पुरुषोंके संगसे मनुष्य धीरे-धीरे अपमानित हो जाता है। मुखसे जो कटुवचनरूपी बाण छूटते हैं, उनसे आहत होकर मनुष्य रात-दिन शोकमें डूबा रहता है। शस्त्र, विष और अग्निसे प्राप्त होनेवाला दुःख शनै:-शनै: अनुभवमें आता है (परंतु कट॒ुवचन तत्काल ही अत्यन्त कष्ट देने लगता है)। अतः विद्वान् पुरुषको चाहिये कि वह दूसरोंपर वाग्वाण न छोड़े। बाणसे बिंधा हुआ वृक्ष और फरसेसे काटा हुआ जंगल फिर पनप जाता है, परंतु वाणीद्वारा जो भयानक कटु वचन निकलता है, उससे घायल हुए हृदयका घाव फिर नहीं भरता। इति श्रीमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि सम्भवपर्वणि ययात्युपाख्याने एकोनाशीतितमो<ध्याय:
śukra uvāca |
avamānam avāpnoti śanair nīceṣu saṅgataḥ |
vāk-sāyakā vadanān niṣpatanti yair āhataḥ śocati rātry-ahāni |
śanair duḥkhaṃ śastra-viṣāgni-jātaṃ tān paṇḍito nāvasajet pareṣu ||
saṃrohati śarair aviddhaṃ vanaṃ paraśunā hatam |
vācā duruktaṃ bībhatsaṃ na saṃrohati vāk-kṣatam ||
Śukra said: By associating with base people, a man gradually comes to suffer humiliation. From the mouth fly arrows of speech; struck by them, one grieves day and night. Pain caused by weapons, poison, or fire is felt in due course, but the hurt born of harsh words pierces at once; therefore a wise person should not hurl verbal arrows at others. A tree pierced by arrows, and a forest cut down by an axe, can grow again; but the wound made by vile, repulsive speech does not heal.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Harsh speech is more damaging than physical injury: forests and trees can regrow after being cut or pierced, but the wound caused by cruel words lingers. Therefore the wise restrain their speech and avoid launching verbal ‘arrows’ at others, and they also avoid the degrading influence of low-minded company.
In the Yayāti-upākhyāna within the Sambhava-parvan, Śukra delivers moral instruction. Here he warns about the corrosive effect of associating with ignoble people and emphasizes the ethical duty to control one’s speech, illustrating it with vivid comparisons to weapons, poison, fire, arrows, and an axe.