Shloka 11
Adhyāya 59: Vidura’s Admonition to Duryodhana after the Summons of Draupadī (सभा पर्व)
नार्या म्लेच्छन्ति भाषाभिम्मायया न चरन्त्युत । अजिद्दमशठं युद्धमेतत् सत्पुरुषव्रतम्,श्रेष्ठ पुरुष वाणीद्वारा किसीके प्रति अनुचित शब्द नहीं निकालते तथा कपटपूर्ण बर्ताव नहीं करते। कुटिलता और शठतासे रहित युद्ध ही सत्पुरुषोंका व्रत है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | nāryā mlecchanti bhāṣābhir māyayā na caranty uta | ajiddam aśaṭhaṃ yuddham etat satpuruṣa-vratam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Noble men do not defile their speech with improper words, nor do they conduct themselves with deceit. This is a battle free from crookedness and fraud; such straightforwardness in conflict is the vow and discipline of the righteous.”
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that righteousness is shown through disciplined speech and conduct: one should avoid abusive or improper words and reject deceitful behavior. Even in conflict, the ethical ideal is a straightforward, non-deceptive form of warfare—presented as the vow (vrata) of the good.
Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a standard of noble conduct, emphasizing that honorable people do not resort to verbal impropriety or trickery. He frames ‘guileless battle’ as the proper code of the righteous, situating the discussion within the Mahābhārata’s broader concern for dharma amid political and martial tensions.