Shloka 32
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
याभ्यां हि देवा: स्वर्यातुः स्वर्गस्य पिदधुर्मुखम् । बिभ्यतो5नुपरागस्य कामक्रोधौ सम वर्धिती
yābhyāṃ hi devāḥ svaryātuḥ svargasya pidadhur mukham | bibhyato 'nuparāgasya kāmakrodhau sama-vardhitī ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “It was through these two—desire and anger—that even the gods, though moving in heaven, shut the very gate of paradise. For one who fears the loss of self-control and the stain of passion, these twin forces, when equally nourished, become the cause of downfall.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) and anger (krodha), when cultivated together, overpower discernment and can bar even the path to heaven; therefore restraint and vigilance against passion are essential to dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana delivers a moral observation within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled context: he highlights how destructive impulses like desire and anger can ruin even exalted beings, underscoring the need for self-mastery amid rising conflict.