Shloka 20
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
प्रज्ञाप्रासादमारुह्ु अशोचन् शोचतो जनान् | जगतीस्थानिवाद्रिस्थो मन्दबुद्धीनवेक्षते
prajñāprāsādam āruhya aśocan śocato janān | jagatīsthān ivādristho mandabuddhīn avekṣate ||
Having ascended the lofty mansion of wisdom, one who is free from grief looks upon people who grieve. Like a person standing on a mountain peak who merely observes those on the plain below without being shaken by their condition, the wise behold the dull-minded who lament, yet do not themselves fall into the same sorrow.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom (prajñā) gives an elevated inner standpoint from which one can perceive others’ sorrow without being overwhelmed by it; ethical steadiness arises from clear understanding rather than emotional contagion.
Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in the Śānti Parva, using a mountain-top metaphor to describe the wise person’s perspective: the wise observe grieving people as one on a peak observes those on the plain, remaining inwardly unshaken.