Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अरोषणो य: समलोष्टाश्मकाछचन: प्रहीणशोको गतसन्धिविग्रह: । निन्दाप्रशंसोपरत: प्रियाप्रिये त्यजन्नुदासीनवदेष भिक्षुक:,जो क्रोध न करनेवाला, लोष्ट", पत्थर और सुवर्ण-को एक-सा समझनेवाला, शोकहीन, सन्धि-विग्रहसे रहित, निन्दा-प्रशंसासे शून्य, प्रिय-अप्रियका त्याग करनेवाला तथा उदासीन है, वही भिक्षुक (संन्यासी) है

Transliteration

aroṣaṇo yaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ prahīṇaśoko gatasandhivigrahaḥ | nindāpraśaṃsoparataḥ priyāpriye tyajann udāsīnavad eṣa bhikṣukaḥ ||

Translation

Vidura defines the true mendicant: one who is free from anger, who regards a clod of earth, a stone, and gold as equal, who has abandoned grief, who has gone beyond the calculations of alliance and conflict, who is unmoved by blame or praise, and who renounces attachment and aversion—living with the calm detachment of an indifferent witness. Such a person alone deserves the name ‘bhikṣu’ (renunciant).

Word by Word

• {'aroṣaṇaḥ': 'free from anger

• non-irascible', 'yaḥ': 'who (the one who)', 'sama-': 'equal

• impartial', 'loṣṭa': 'clod of earth', 'aśman': 'stone', 'kāñcana': 'gold', 'samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ': 'one to whom clod, stone, and gold are the same', 'prahīṇaśokaḥ': 'one who has abandoned sorrow/grief', 'gata-': 'gone beyond

• departed from', 'sandhi': 'alliance

• conciliation', 'vigraha': 'hostility

• quarrel', 'gatasandhivigrahaḥ': 'one beyond the duality of making alliances and waging conflicts', 'nindā': 'blame

• censure', 'praśaṃsā': 'praise

• commendation', 'uparataḥ': 'ceased from

• withdrawn from', 'nindāpraśaṃsoparataḥ': 'one who has withdrawn from concern for blame and praise', 'priya': 'pleasant

• dear', 'apriya': 'unpleasant

• not dear', 'priyāpriye': 'the pleasant and the unpleasant', 'tyajan': 'abandoning

• renouncing', 'udāsīna-vat': 'like one indifferent

• as a detached onlooker', 'eṣa': 'this (person)', 'bhikṣukaḥ': 'mendicant

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• bhikṣuka (renunciant/mendicant)
• loṣṭa (clod)
• aśman (stone)
• kāñcana (gold)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A true renunciant is identified by inner freedom: absence of anger and grief, equal regard for worthless and valuable objects, and detachment from praise/blame and like/dislike—standing beyond social and political dualities such as alliance and conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, as tensions move toward war, Vidura offers moral counsel. Here he shifts from external labels to inner qualifications, defining the ‘bhikṣu’ by ethical and psychological steadiness rather than by mere appearance or status.