Shloka 111

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

यो नोद्धतं कुरुते जातु वेषं न पौरुषेणापि विकत्थते<न्यान्‌ । न मूर्च्छित: कटुकान्याह किंचित्‌ प्रियं सदा त॑ कुरुते जनो हि

Transliteration

yo noddhataṁ kurute jātu veṣaṁ na pauruṣeṇāpi vikatthate ’nyān | na mūrcchitaḥ kaṭukāny āha kiṁcit priyaṁ sadā taṁ kurute jano hi ||

Translation

Vidura says: A person who never assumes an arrogant, overbearing manner; who does not boast of his own prowess before others; and who, even when angered, does not utter harsh words—such a person is always made dear by people.

Word by Word

• {'yaḥ': 'who (the person who)', 'na': 'not', 'uddhatam': 'arrogant, haughty, overbearing', 'kurute': 'does, makes, adopts', 'jātu': 'ever, at any time', 'veṣam': 'guise, demeanor, outward manner', 'pauruṣeṇa': 'by manliness/valor

• by personal prowess', 'api': 'even, also', 'vikatthate': 'boasts, brags, vaunts oneself', 'anyān': 'others (people)', 'mūrcchitaḥ': 'overpowered, carried away (here: by anger/passion)', 'kaṭukāni': 'harsh, bitter (words)', 'āha': 'says, speaks', 'kiṁcit': 'anything at all', 'priyam': 'dear, beloved, pleasing', 'sadā': 'always', 'tam': 'him', 'janaḥ': 'people', 'hi': 'indeed, surely'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• people (jana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Humility and restraint make a person beloved: do not adopt an arrogant demeanor, do not boast of one’s prowess, and do not speak harshly even when provoked by anger.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, Vidura delivers moral counsel (nīti) in the tense pre-war context, describing the qualities of a socially admirable person whose self-control and gentle speech win lasting goodwill.