Shloka 33
पूर्व सम्मानना यत्र पश्चाच्चैव विमानना । जह्यात् तत् सत्त्ववान् स्थान शत्रो: सम्मानितो5पि सन् ।। जहाँ पहले सम्मान मिला हो, वहीं पीछे अपमान होने लगे तो प्रत्येक शक्तिशाली पुरुषको पुनः सम्मान मिलनेपर भी उस स्थानका परित्याग कर देना चाहिये
pūrva-sammānanā yatra paścāc caiva vimānanā | jahyāt tat sattvavān sthānaṃ śatroḥ sammānito 'pi san ||
Brahmadatta said: Where one was formerly honored but later comes to be slighted, a man of strength and self-respect should abandon that place—even if an enemy there offers him honor again.
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
If a place or community that once honored you later turns to contempt, a person of integrity should leave it; even renewed honor—especially from an adversary—does not erase the moral harm of sustained humiliation.
In a didactic exchange within the Śānti Parva, Brahmadatta articulates a rule of conduct (nīti): one should not remain where one’s standing has degraded from respect to insult, even if circumstances later bring superficial honor.