Shloka 27
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
आत्मानमसमाधाय समाधित्सति यः परान् | विषयेष्विन्द्रियवशं मानवा: प्रहसन्ति तम्
ātmānam asamādhāya samādhitsati yaḥ parān | viṣayeṣv indriyavaśaṃ mānavāḥ prahasanti tam ||
Humatsena dijo: «Quien no ha compuesto su propio ser, quien es inconstante y, entre los objetos de los sentidos, está esclavizado por los sentidos—si pretende instruir a otros en el dominio de sí y la recta conducta, la gente no hace sino reírse de él.»
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral instruction gains authority only when grounded in personal discipline. One who is ruled by sense-pleasures and lacks inner composure cannot credibly teach restraint or dharma; such preaching invites ridicule.
Humatsena is offering an ethical observation within the Shanti Parva’s didactic discourse: he contrasts outward preaching with inward mastery, warning that a person (especially a ruler) who cannot govern himself cannot effectively guide others.