Shloka 34
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
गुणाश्न षण्मित भुक्त भजन्ते आरोग्यमायुश्च बल॑ सुखं च | अनाविलं चास्य भवत्यपत्यं न चैनमाद्यून इति क्षिपन्ति,थोड़ा भोजन करनेवालेको निम्नांकित छ: गुण प्राप्त होते हैं--आरोग्य, आयु, बल और सुख तो मिलते ही हैं, उसकी संतान उत्तम होती है तथा “यह बहुत खानेवाला है” ऐसा कहकर लोग उसपर आक्षेप नहीं करते
guṇāśn ṣaṇmita-bhukta-bhajante ārogyam āyuś ca balaṃ sukhaṃ ca | anāvilaṃ cāsya bhavaty apatyaṃ na cainam ādyūna iti kṣipanti ||
Vidura teaches that one who eats in measured quantity gains six benefits: health, long life, strength, and happiness; moreover, such a person’s offspring is unblemished, and society does not reproach him as an excessive eater.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moderation in eating (mitāhāra) is a dharmic discipline that yields tangible goods—health, longevity, strength, happiness—while also safeguarding social reputation and the purity/well-being of one’s progeny.
In Vidura’s counsel (Vidura-nīti) within Udyoga Parva, Vidura instructs the royal audience on practical ethics; here he highlights measured eating as a mark of self-mastery and a source of personal and familial welfare.