Shloka 29
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
धृतिमानप्रमत्तश्न दान्तो धर्मविदात्मवान् | वीतहर्षमदक्रोधो ब्राह्णो नावसीदति
dhṛtimān apramattaś ca dānto dharmavid ātmavān | vītaharṣa-mada-krodho brāhmaṇo nāvasīdati ||
Dijo Vyāsa: Un brahmán firme y vigilante, dueño de sí, conocedor del dharma y con dominio interior—libre de exaltación, de la embriaguez del orgullo y de la ira—no se hunde en el abatimiento.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that true stability comes from disciplined vigilance and self-mastery: when one knows dharma, restrains the senses, and abandons emotional extremes (elation), egoic pride, and anger, one does not collapse into despair. Ethical clarity and inner control protect the mind from being overwhelmed by circumstances.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right conduct after the war, Vyāsa articulates a model of the ideal Brahmin/wise person. He lists inner virtues—fortitude, attentiveness, restraint, dharma-knowledge, and freedom from reactive emotions—to show why such a person remains unshaken and does not fall into sorrow.