Shloka 42
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
अप्यन्यं प्राकृतं किंचित् किमु तान् पाण्डवर्षभान् । अमर्षवशमापतन्नो न किंचिद् बुध्यते जन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | apy anyaṃ prākṛtaṃ kiṃcit kimu tān pāṇḍavarṣabhān | amarṣavaśam āpatan no na kiṃcid budhyate janaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Even an ordinary, lowly person should not be slighted—how much more, then, those bull-like heroes among the Pāṇḍavas. For a man who falls under the sway of intolerance and jealous resentment cannot properly understand anything at all.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not demean anyone—least of all the truly noble—because envy and intolerant resentment (amarṣa) destroy discernment; a mind ruled by such passions cannot see what is right or beneficial.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel and reflections, the narrator Vaiśampāyana underscores how disrespect and jealousy distort understanding, implicitly warning against provoking or insulting the Pāṇḍavas and against letting passion govern policy.