Shloka 12
अध्याय २८६ — पराशर-उपदेशः
Ethical Restraint, Mortality, and Karma
मूढस्य दर्प: स पुनर्मोह एव मूढस्य नायं न परोडस्ति लोक: । न होव दुःखानि सदा भवन्ति सुखस्य वा नित्यशो लाभ एव,मूढ़ मनुष्यको गर्व होता है। उसका वह गर्व मोहरूप ही है। मूढ़के लिये न तो यह लोक सुखद होता है ओर न परलोक ही। किसीको भी न तो सदा दुःख ही उठाने पड़ते हैं और न नित्य, निरन्तर सुखका ही लाभ होता है
mūḍhasya darpaḥ sa punar moha eva mūḍhasya nāyaṃ na parod asti lokaḥ | na hova duḥkhāni sadā bhavanti sukhasya vā nityaśo lābha eva ||
Pride in a deluded person is nothing but delusion again. For the foolish, neither this world brings true well-being nor does the next. In human life, sorrow does not remain forever, nor is there an unbroken, perpetual gain of happiness.
समड़ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arrogance in an ignorant mind is itself a symptom of delusion; wisdom recognizes that worldly conditions fluctuate—neither suffering nor happiness is permanent—so one should abandon pride and cultivate clear understanding and steadiness.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, the speaker delivers a moral instruction: the foolish person’s pride leads to further confusion, and a realistic view of life’s changing fortunes is urged as a corrective.