Shloka 236
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
विद्यायामर्थलाभे वा मातुरुच्चार एव स: । दान, तपस्या, सत्यभाषण, विद्या तथा धनोपार्जनमें जिसके सुयशका सर्वत्र बखान नहीं होता है, वह मनुष्य अपनी माताका पुत्र नहीं, मल-मूत्रमात्र ही है
vidyāyām arthalābhe vā mātur uccāra eva saḥ |
Dijo Vāyu: «Sea en el saber o en la obtención de riquezas, aquel cuya buena fama no es proclamada por doquier no es, en verdad, hijo de su madre: no es más que excremento y orina».
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s learning and prosperity should culminate in widely recognized good repute grounded in virtue; without such acknowledged merit, one’s life is portrayed as futile and dishonoring one’s birth.
Vāyu delivers a sharp moral judgment, contrasting true sonship—validated by virtuous achievement and public esteem—with a life lacking honorable renown, which he condemns as worthless.