Shloka 14
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
वाचो वेगं मनस: क्रोधवेगं विधित्सावेगमुदरोपस्थवेगम् | एतान् वेगान् यो विषहेदुदीर्णा- स्तं मन्येडहं ब्राह्म॒णं वै मुनिं च
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ vidhitsā-vegam udaropastha-vegam | etān vegān yo viṣahed udīrṇās taṁ manye ’haṁ brāhmaṇaṁ vai muniṁ ca ||
The Haṁsa said: “He who can endure the surging impulses of speech, the mind, and anger, as well as the urges of ambition, the belly, and the generative organ—him I regard as truly a brāhmaṇa, indeed a sage. Such mastery is the mark of ethical discipline: restraint that protects oneself and others from harm and keeps one aligned with dharma.”
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
True spiritual nobility is measured by restraint: the ability to withstand powerful inner urges—especially speech, mental agitation, anger, ambition, hunger, and sexual impulse. Mastery over these protects dharma and qualifies one as a genuine brāhmaṇa and muni.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, the Haṁsa speaks as a moral teacher, defining the qualities of a true sage. Rather than birth or status, he emphasizes inner discipline and control over impulses as the criterion for spiritual authority.