Shloka 32
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
एतान् गुणांस्तात महानुभावा- नेको गुण: संश्रयते प्रसहा । राजा यदा सत्कुरुते मनुष्यं सर्वान् गुणानेष गुणो बिभर्ति,तात! एक गुण ऐसा है, जो इन सभी महत्त्वपूर्ण गुणोंपर हठात् अधिकार कर लेता है। राजा जिस समय किसी मनुष्यका सत्कार करता है, उस समय यह गुण (राजसम्मान) उपर्युक्त सभी गुणोंसे बढ़कर शोभा पाता है
etān guṇāṁs tāta mahānubhāvān eko guṇaḥ saṁśrayate prasahā | rājā yadā satkurute manuṣyaṁ sarvān guṇān eṣa guṇo bibharti ||
Vidura said: “Dear one, among these great and noble qualities, there is a single quality that forcefully takes them all into its shelter. When a king honors a person, that very honor becomes the bearer of all virtues—outshining and, as it were, gathering them together in the eyes of the world.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura highlights how public honor from a ruler can eclipse and effectively ‘carry’ other virtues in society’s perception: recognition by authority amplifies a person’s standing, sometimes more powerfully than intrinsic merit.
In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he reflects on the dynamics of virtue and status, explaining to his listener that when a king publicly honors someone, that royal esteem becomes the dominant ‘quality’ that makes all other virtues appear brighter.