Shloka 13
यादृशै: संनिविशते यादृशांश्वोपसेवते । यादृगिच्छेच्च भवितुं तादूगू भवति पूरुष:,मनुष्य जैसे लोगोंके साथ रहता है, जैसे लोगोंकी सेवा करता है और जैसा होना चाहता है, वैसा ही हो जाता है
yādṛśaiḥ saṁniviśate yādṛśāṁś copasevate | yādṛg icchec ca bhavituṁ tādṛg bhavati pūruṣaḥ ||
A person becomes like the company he keeps: as he associates with certain people, serves and follows certain people, and as he inwardly wishes to become, so he gradually turns into that very kind of person.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
Character is shaped by association and service: the people one lives with and follows, together with one’s chosen ideal, steadily mold one’s nature. Therefore, dharmic progress requires choosing uplifting companions and worthy exemplars.
In the Udyoga Parva’s instructional discourse attributed to Haṁsa, a moral maxim is stated to guide conduct before the great conflict: one’s future disposition and actions are strongly determined by one’s social environment, loyalties, and aspirations.