Mahabharata — Sabha Parva, Shloka 6

अध्याय ६४ — सभामध्ये क्रोध-निवारणम्

Restraint of wrath in the royal assembly

Devanagari script

मा नो5वमंस्था विद्य मनस्तवेदं शिक्षस्व बुद्धि स्थविराणां सकाशात्‌ । यशो रक्षस्व विदुर सम्प्रणीतं मा व्यापृत: परकार्येषु भूस्त्वम्‌

Transliteration

mā no ’vamam̐sthā vidvan manas tavedaṁ śikṣasva buddhiṁ sthavirāṇāṁ sakāśāt | yaśo rakṣasva vidura sampranītaṁ mā vyāpṛtaḥ parakāryeṣu bhūs tvam, vidura ||

Translation

Duryodhana dit : «Ne nous méprise pas, ô Vidura le sage. Nous avons déjà compris l’orientation de ton esprit. Assieds-toi près des anciens et apprends d’eux le discernement. Protège la réputation que tu as acquise et maintenue. Ne t’affaire pas aux affaires d’autrui—n’interviens pas, Vidura.»

Word by Word

• {'mā': 'do not (prohibitive particle)', 'avamam̐sthā (avamamsthāḥ)': 'disparage, insult, treat with contempt', 'vidvan': 'O learned one, wise man (vocative)', 'manas': 'mind, intention', 'tava': 'your', 'idam': 'this', 'śikṣasva': 'learn, train yourself (imperative, middle)', 'buddhim': 'understanding, judgment, discernment', 'sthavirāṇām': 'of the elders, seniors', 'sakāśāt': 'from the presence of, from near', 'yaśaḥ': 'fame, reputation, honor', 'rakṣasva': 'protect, preserve (imperative)', 'vidura': 'Vidura (vocative)', 'sampranītam': 'well-established, duly maintained/earned (reputation)', 'vyāpṛtaḥ': 'occupied, engaged, busy', 'parakāryeṣu': 'in others’ matters/affairs', 'bhūḥ': 'be (imperative of √bhū)', 'tvam': 'you'}

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Vidura
• the elders (sthavira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how pride resists ethical counsel: Duryodhana frames Vidura’s moral intervention as ‘interference’ and urges him to protect his reputation by staying silent. It implicitly warns that rejecting wise advice and policing truth-tellers are signs of adharma in governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva, Vidura’s admonitions displease Duryodhana. Duryodhana rebukes him, claims to know his intentions, and orders him to stop involving himself in others’ affairs—an attempt to marginalize Vidura’s corrective voice at court.