Shloka 353
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
तमाहुर्व्यर्थनामान स्त्रीवद् य इह जीवति । जो पर अर्थात् शत्रुका सामना करके उसके वेगको सह लेता है
tam āhur vyarthanāmānaḥ strīvad ya iha jīvati | yaḥ paraṃ (śatruṃ) samānaṃ kṛtvā tasya vegaṃ sahate, sa eva puruṣārthāt puruṣa ucyate | yaḥ punar asmin jagati strīvat bhīrutāpūrṇaṃ jīvanaṃ nayati, tasya ‘puruṣa’ nāma vyarthaṃ kathyate ||
Vāyu says: ‘They call him “a man” in name only who lives here in a woman-like (timid) manner. He alone is truly called a “man” because of his manly striving—who, facing the enemy, endures the enemy’s onrush. But whoever passes his life in this world in fearful cowardice, like a timid woman, is said to bear the name “man” in vain.’
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True ‘manhood’ is defined by purposeful courage—facing an enemy and enduring the force of attack. A life governed by fear and cowardice is condemned as unworthy of the title ‘puruṣa’ (man), emphasizing ethical valor and steadfastness as virtues.
Vāyudeva delivers a moral exhortation within Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel: he contrasts genuine valor with fearful living, urging the listener toward the warrior-ethical ideal of confronting danger rather than shrinking from it.