Shloka 68
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
अव्याधिजं कटुकं शीर्षरोगि पापानुबन्धं परुषं तीक्षणमुष्णम् । सतां पेयं यन्न पिबन्त्यसन्तो मन्युं महाराज पिब प्रशाम्य,महाराज! जो बिना रोगके उत्पन्न, कड़वा, सिरमें दर्द पैदा करनेवाला, पापसे सम्बद्ध, कठोर, तीखा और गरम है, जो सज्जनोंद्वारा पान करनेयोग्य है और जिसे दुर्जन नहीं पी सकते--उस क्रोधको आप पी जाइये और शान्त होइये
avyādhijaṁ kaṭukaṁ śīrṣarogi pāpānubandhaṁ paruṣaṁ tīkṣṇam uṣṇam | satāṁ peyaṁ yan na pibanty asanto manyuṁ mahārāja piba praśāmya ||
Vidura said: “O great king, drink in and swallow that anger—though it arises without any bodily illness, is bitter, brings headache, is bound up with sin, harsh, piercing, and hot. It is a draught fit for the good, and one that the wicked cannot drink. Consume it within yourself and become calm.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Anger is inherently bitter and harmful, leading to sinful consequences; the virtuous ‘drink’ it by absorbing and restraining it within themselves rather than letting it spill out as harsh speech or action. True nobility is shown by pacifying wrath and returning to calm judgment.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) amid escalating conflict. He urges the king to restrain his wrath and regain composure, using the striking metaphor of anger as a burning, bitter potion that only the good can swallow.