Shloka 4
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Brahmacarya and the Formless Brahman
Udyoga Parva 44
सम्भोगसंविद् विषमो5तिमानी दत्त्वा विकत्थी कृपणो दुर्बलश्न । बहुप्रशंसी वन्दितद्विट् सदैव सप्तैवोक्ता: पापशीला नृशंसा:
sambhogasaṃvid viṣamo 'timānī dattvā vikatthī kṛpaṇo durbalaś ca | bahupraśaṃsī vanditadvit sadaiva saptaivoktāḥ pāpaśīlā nṛśaṃsāḥ ||
Sanatsujāta dit : Ceux qui attachent leur esprit aux jouissances des sens, qui sont retors et inégaux dans leur conduite, qui s’enorgueillissent à l’excès, qui donnent des dons pour s’en vanter, qui sont avares, qui — bien que faibles — fanfaronnent à grand bruit, et qui nourrissent toujours la haine envers les honorés et les dignes : ces sept sortes d’hommes sont déclarées pécheresses de nature et cruelles de cœur.
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanatsujāta identifies seven traits that mark a person as morally fallen and cruel: attachment to sensual pleasure, crookedness/unfairness, excessive pride, boasting after giving, miserliness, loud self-importance despite weakness, and habitual hatred of the truly honored. The teaching urges inner integrity—generosity without vanity, humility, and respect for the virtuous.
In the Udyoga Parva’s Sanatsujātīya discourse, Sanatsujāta instructs Dhṛtarāṣṭra on ethical and spiritual conduct. This verse is part of his moral diagnosis, listing destructive character-types that lead to sin and social harm, thereby warning the king against such dispositions in himself and his court.