Shloka 17
Book 12, Chapter 93 — Vāmadeva’s Counsel to King Vasumanā on Dharmic Kingship (धर्मप्रधान-राजधर्मोपदेशः)
अथ मानयितुर्दाम्न: श्लक्षणस्य वशवर्तिन: । व्यसन स्वमिवोत्पन्नं विजिघांसन्ति मानवा:,जो सबका मान करनेवाला, दानी, स्नेहयुक्त तथा दूसरोंके वशवर्ती होकर रहता है, उसपर यदि कोई संकट आ जाय तो सब लोग उसे अपना ही संकट मानकर उसको मिटानेकी चेष्टा करते हैं
atha mānayitur dāmnaḥ ślakṣṇasya vaśavartinaḥ | vyasanaṃ svam ivotpannaṃ vijighāṃsanti mānavāḥ ||
Now, when a person is one who honors everyone, is generous, gentle in conduct, and lives in a spirit of compliance and consideration toward others, if some calamity befalls him, people regard it as though it were their own misfortune and strive to remove it.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person who consistently respects others, gives generously, and behaves gently earns collective goodwill; therefore, when adversity strikes him, society naturally rallies to help, treating his distress as their own.
Vāmadeva is describing a moral principle in the Shānti Parva: the social and ethical consequences of virtuous conduct—how a beneficent, considerate person becomes protected by the affection and support of others in times of crisis.