Shloka 20
राजधर्मः—राष्ट्ररक्षणं, दण्डनीतिः, हयग्रीवोपाख्यानम्
Royal Duty: Protection, Penal Policy, and the Hayagrīva Exemplum
शोकस्थानसहस्राणि हर्षस्थानशतानि च । दिवसे दिवसे मूढमाविशन्ति न पण्डितम्,'शोकके सहसों स्थान हैं, हर्षके भी सैकड़ों अवसर हैं। वे प्रतिदिन मूढ़ मनुष्यपर ही प्रभाव डालते हैं, विद्वानूपर नहीं
śokasthāna-sahasrāṇi harṣasthāna-śatāni ca | divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ||
Vyāsa said: “There are thousands of occasions for grief and hundreds of occasions for joy. Day after day they seize the foolish mind, but they do not overpower the wise.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life continually presents many triggers for sorrow and joy, but the ethical ideal is steadiness of mind: the wise person is not ruled by emotional fluctuations, whereas the deluded person is repeatedly overwhelmed by them.
In the instruction-oriented setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a reflective maxim to emphasize inner composure and discernment—contrasting the reactive nature of the foolish with the equanimity of the wise.