द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
इति द्वैतवने तात मामुवाच धनंजय: । परोक्षे त्वदगुणांस्तथ्यान् कथयन्नार्यसंसदि,तात! इस प्रकार अर्जुनने द्वैतवनमें श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंकी सभामें तुम्हारे यथार्थ गुणोंका वर्णन करते हुए परोक्षमें मुझसे उपर्युक्त बातें कही थीं
iti dvaitavane tāta mām uvāca dhanañjayaḥ | parokṣe tvad-guṇāṁs tathiyān kathayann ārya-saṁsadi ||
Ainsi, mon cher, dans la forêt de Dvaitavana, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) me tint ces propos, tandis que, dans l’assemblée des hommes nobles, il énumérait avec vérité tes vertus en ton absence. Le passage met en lumière l’idéal éthique selon lequel l’éloge sincère se donne sans arrière-pensée, surtout lorsque celui qu’on loue n’est pas là pour l’entendre.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
The verse highlights an ethical standard: truthful appreciation of another’s virtues is most credible and dharmic when expressed in their absence (parokṣe), before impartial and noble listeners. It implies integrity in speech—praise should be grounded in fact (tathyān) rather than flattery.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a prior moment in the Dvaitavana forest when Arjuna spoke to him. Arjuna had been describing the addressee’s virtues truthfully in a noble assembly, and Yudhiṣṭhira reports that Arjuna conveyed those remarks to him indirectly, summarizing what had been said.