Shloka 18
दुःशासनस्तूपहतो 5$भिशस्तो नावर्तते मन्युवशात् कृतघ्न: । न कस्यचिन्मित्रमथो दुरात्मा कलाश्रैता अधमस्येह पुंस:,जिसका शासन अत्यन्त कठोर हो, जो अनेक दोषोंसे दूषित हो, कलंकित हो, जो क्रोधवश किसीकी बुराई करनेसे नहीं हटता हो, दूसरोंके किये हुए उपकारको नहीं मानता हो, जिसकी किसीके साथ मित्रता नहीं हो तथा जो दुरात्मा हो--ये अधम पुरुषके भेद हैं
duḥśāsanas tūpahato'bhīśasto nāvartate manyuvaśāt kṛtaghnaḥ | na kasyacin mitram atho durātmā kalāśraitā adhamasyeha puṁsaḥ ||
The Swan said: “One like Duḥśāsana—violent and oppressive, censured and disgraced—does not desist from slander when driven by anger. Ungrateful for benefits received, friendless, and inwardly corrupt, he clings to base arts and crooked ways. These are the marks by which a vile man is known in this world.”
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person becomes ‘adhama’ (vile) through recognizable ethical failures: acting under anger, persisting in blame and harm, denying gratitude, lacking genuine friendship, and relying on deceitful or base ‘arts’ rather than dharmic conduct.
In a didactic passage spoken by the Haṁsa, Duḥśāsana is cited as an example to define the traits of a morally degraded person, using his reputation to warn against anger-driven malice, ingratitude, and corrupt companionship.