Shloka 39
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
सुखं वा यदि वा दु:खं प्रियं वा यदि वाप्रियम् । प्राप्त प्राप्तमुपासीत हृदयेनापराजित:
sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ priyaṃ vā yadi vāpriyam | prāptaṃ prāptam upāsīta hṛdayenāparājitaḥ ||
The Brāhmaṇa said: “Whether what comes is happiness or sorrow, whether it is pleasing or displeasing—whatever is obtained, let one accept it as it comes, welcoming it with an unconquered heart, never letting the inner resolve be defeated.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain equanimity: accept whatever arrives—pleasant or unpleasant—without inner defeat. The ethical ideal is resilience and self-mastery, where one’s heart remains unconquered by changing fortunes.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, a Brāhmaṇa speaker delivers counsel on right conduct and mental discipline, emphasizing how a wise person should meet life’s alternating experiences with steady acceptance.