Shloka 32
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
यादृशै: संनिवसति यादृशांश्लोपसेवते । यादृगिच्छेच्च भवितुं तादूगू भवति पूरुष:,पुरुष जैसे लोगोंके साथ रहता है, जैसे मनुष्योंका सेवन करता है और जैसा होना चाहता है, वैसा ही होता है
yādṛśaiḥ saṃnivasati yādṛśāṃś copasevate | yādṛg icchec ca bhavituṃ tādṛg eva bhavati pūruṣaḥ ||
A person becomes like those with whom he lives, like those whom he keeps close and associates with, and like what he inwardly wishes to become.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s character and destiny are molded by three forces: the company he keeps (living together and habitual association) and his own inner aspiration. Therefore, choosing uplifting companions and cultivating a noble aim are ethical necessities.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, the Haṃsa speaks a concise moral maxim, instructing that one’s nature is shaped by one’s associates and one’s chosen ideal—an admonition relevant to personal discipline and dharmic living.