Shloka 9
Jñāna-plava (The Raft of Knowledge): Svabhāva, Prajñā, and the Ascent to Ātmajñāna
उक्ताश्न न वदिष्यन्ति वक्तारमहिते हितम् । प्रतिहन्तुं न चेच्छन्ति हन्तारं वै मनीषिण:
uktāś na vadiṣyanti vaktāram ahite hitam | pratihantuṁ na cecchanti hantāraṁ vai manīṣiṇaḥ ||
Jaigiṣavya said: The wise do not answer harsh speech with harshness. Even toward one who acts against their welfare, they seek what is beneficial; and even toward one who strikes them, they do not desire retaliation by striking back.
जैगीषव्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is kṣamā and non-vengeance: a truly wise person does not repay harsh words with harsh words, and does not seek to harm even one who harms them, but instead aims at what is ultimately beneficial.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Jaigiṣavya articulates the behavior of the manīṣin (wise): restraint in speech and refusal to retaliate, presenting an ideal of ethical self-mastery.