Shloka 9
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
सुपूरा वै कुनदिका सुपूरो मूषिकाउ्जलि: । सुसंतोष: कापुरुष: स्वल्पकेनैव तुष्यति
supūrā vai kunadikā supūro mūṣikāñjaliḥ | susantoṣaḥ kāpuruṣaḥ svalpakenaiva tuṣyati ||
Vāyu said: “A small stream is easily filled with a little water, and a mouse’s cupped ‘handful’ is filled with only a little grain. In the same way, a coward is quickly satisfied; he becomes content with very little.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes cowardice as a mindset that settles for minimal gain or comfort; such a person is easily appeased and thus unfit for demanding duties where courage and perseverance are required.
Vāyudeva delivers a pointed moral observation using two everyday images—a small stream and a mouse’s tiny handful—to illustrate how quickly a coward becomes satisfied, implying a contrast with the steadfastness expected in the larger conflict setting of the Udyoga Parva.