Shloka 12
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
त्वमेवं प्रेतवच्छेषे कस्माद् वज़हतो यथा । उत्तिष्ठ हे कापुरुष मा स्वाप्सी: शत्रुनिर्जित:
tvam evaṁ pretavac cheṣe kasmād vajrahato yathā | uttiṣṭha he kāpuruṣa mā svāpsīḥ śatrunirjitaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Why do you lie here motionless like a corpse, as though struck down by a thunderbolt? Rise up, O coward! Do not remain here as one defeated by enemies; do not sink into helplessness.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not collapse into inertia or despair when faced with adversity; especially for one bound by duty, courage and decisive action are required rather than a ‘corpse-like’ surrender.
Vāyudeva rebukes someone lying inert as if dead, urging him to rise and not remain as though defeated by enemies—an exhortation to regain resolve and act in accordance with duty.