Shloka 13
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
मास्तं गमस्त्वं कृपणो विश्रूयस्व स्वकर्मणा । मा मध्ये मा जघन्ये त्वं माधो भूस्तिष्ठ गर्जित:
māstaṃ gamas tvaṃ kṛpaṇo viśrūyasva svakarmaṇā | mā madhye mā jaghanye tvaṃ mādhō bhūs tiṣṭha garjitaḥ ||
“Do not sink into despair, do not become faint-hearted. Win renown through your own valorous deeds. Do not take refuge in a middling, base, or ignoble disposition; rather, stand firm on the battlefield and roar like a lion.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges steadfast courage: do not collapse into despair or adopt an ignoble, defeatist mindset; instead, uphold one’s dharma through personal effort and valor, earning rightful renown.
Vāyudeva addresses a warrior (vocatively called “Mādha”), exhorting him to reject dejection and mediocrity and to stand resolute in the war context, proclaiming strength with a lion-like roar.