Shloka 41
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
“राजन! जो उत्तम व्यवहार करनेवाले सत्पुरुषोंक साथ असद्व्यवहार करता है, वह कुल्हाड़ीसे जंगलकी भाँति उस दुर्व्यवहारसे अपने-आपको ही काटता है ।।
rājan! yo uttama-vyavahāra-karaṇeṣu satpuruṣeṣu sārdham asad-vyavahāraṃ karoti, sa vanaṃ kuṭhāreṇeva tena durvyavahāreṇa svayam ātmānam eva chinatti. na tasya hi matiṃ chindyād yasya necchet parābhavam | avicchinna-mater asya kalyāṇe dhīyate matiḥ | ātmavān nāvamanyeta triṣu lokeṣu bhārata |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, one who behaves wrongly toward noble people of excellent conduct is like a man felling a forest with an axe—by that very misconduct he cuts down his own good fortune. One should not shatter the understanding of a person whose defeat one does not even wish for; for when a man’s discernment remains unbroken, his mind turns toward what is wholesome and beneficial. O Bhārata, a self-possessed man should not despise anyone in the three worlds—not even a lowly person; how much less, then, should one think of insulting the eminent Pāṇḍavas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Misconduct toward the virtuous rebounds upon oneself: it destroys one’s own welfare. Therefore, preserve sound judgment, cultivate self-control, and avoid contempt for anyone—especially for noble persons like the Pāṇḍavas.
In Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled context before the great war, Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates a moral warning to the king: insulting or undermining good people is self-destructive, and a wise ruler should refrain from disparaging anyone, with particular emphasis on not slighting the Pāṇḍavas.