Shloka 19
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
अपनी बहुत बड़ाई करनेवाले, लोलुप, तनिक-से भी अपमानको सहन न करनेवाले, निरन्तर क्रोधी, चंचल और अश्रितोंकी रक्षा नहीं करनेवाले--ये छः प्रकारके मनुष्य पापी हैं। महान् संकटमें पड़नेपर भी ये निडर होकर इन पापकर्मोंका आचरण करते हैं ।।
saṃbhogasaṃvid viṣamo 'timānī dattānutāpī kṛpaṇo balīyān | vargapraśaṃsī vanitāsu dveṣṭā ete pare sapta nṛśaṃsavargāḥ ||
Sanatsujāta said: “There are seven kinds of men who belong to the cruel and sinful class: one who is cunning in matters of enjoyment and intimacy; one who is unequal and unfair in conduct; one who is excessively proud; one who regrets after giving (and thus gives without true generosity); one who is miserly; one who relies on brute strength; one who praises only his own faction; and one who bears hatred toward women. Even when great danger arises, such people act without fear, persisting in these sinful ways.”
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanatsujāta classifies certain entrenched vices—pride, unfairness, miserly and grudging giving, reliance on brute force, partisan self-praise, and hatred toward women—as marks of a ‘cruel’ disposition. The ethical point is that such traits persist even under danger, showing deep-rooted adharma that must be recognized and restrained.
In Udyoga Parva, Sanatsujāta instructs Dhṛtarāṣṭra on dharma and inner discipline during the tense pre-war negotiations. This verse is part of his moral diagnosis of destructive character-types that lead rulers and societies toward ruin.