Shloka 8
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Saṃvāda: Anuśocana, Nimittāni, and Vidura’s Warning
अजुन उवाच न चैवोक्ता न चानुक्ता हीनतः परुषा गिर: | भारत प्रतिजल्पन्ति सदा तूत्तमपूरुषा:,अर्जुन बोले--भारत! (द्रौपदी सती है। उसके विषयमें आप ऐसी बात न कहें। दुःशासनने अवश्य नीचता की है, किंतु) श्रेष्ठ पुरुष नीच पुरुषोंद्वारा कही या न कही गयी कड़वी बातोंका कभी उत्तर नहीं देते
arjuna uvāca na caivoktā na cānuktā hīnataḥ paruṣā giraḥ | bhārata pratijalpanti sadā tūttama-pūruṣāḥ ||
Arjuna said: “O Bhārata, whether harsh words are spoken or left unspoken by a base person, the truly noble do not engage in petty retorts. The best of men do not answer bitterness with bitterness.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna upholds restraint in speech: a noble person does not descend to exchanging harsh words with someone base; dignity is preserved through forbearance and self-control.
In the tense Sabha setting, Arjuna addresses a Kuru elder as “Bhārata” and counsels against responding to low, bitter talk with counter-insults, emphasizing the conduct expected of the noble amid provocation.