Shloka 16
लभ्यते खलु पापीयान् नरो नु प्रियवागिह । अप्रियस्य हि पथ्यस्य वक्ता श्रोता च दुर्लभ:,इस संसारमें सदा मनको प्रिय लगनेवाले वचन बोलनेवाला महापापी मनुष्य भी अवश्य मिल सकता है; परंतु हितकर होते हुए भी अप्रिय वचनको कहने और सुननेवाले दोनों दुर्लभ हैं
labhyate khalu pāpīyān naro nu priyavāg iha | apriyasya hi pathyasya vaktā śrotā ca durlabhaḥ ||
In this world one can certainly find even a very sinful man who speaks only what is pleasing. But a person who will speak what is truly beneficial though unpleasant—and one who will listen to such beneficial yet unpleasant words—both are rare.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical speech is not measured by how pleasant it sounds but by whether it is truly beneficial (pathya). People who flatter are easy to find, but those who can speak hard truths for another’s good—and those mature enough to accept them—are rare.
In the Sabha Parva’s courtly setting, Vidura offers moral counsel, contrasting flattering, pleasing speech with the difficult duty of giving and receiving corrective, welfare-oriented advice—an important standard for rulers and assemblies.