Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 15
अध्याय १२२ — कृष्णस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛṣṇa’s Ethical Counsel to Duryodhana
तदनेनैव दोषेण क्षीणं येनासि पातित: । अभिमानेन राजेन्द्र धिक्कृत: स्वर्गवासिभि:
tadanenaiva doṣeṇa kṣīṇaṁ yenāsi pātitaḥ | abhimānena rājendra dhikkṛtaḥ svargavāsibhiḥ ||
उसी दोष से वह पुण्य क्षीण हुआ और उसी से तुम गिराए गए। राजेन्द्र! अभिमान के कारण ही स्वर्गवासियों ने तुम्हें धिक्कारा।
पितामह् उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride (abhimāna) is a corrosive moral fault that can consume accumulated merit and undermine dharma; humility safeguards spiritual and ethical gains, while arrogance invites censure and downfall.
Pitāmaha addresses a king, explaining the cause of his decline: the king’s pride led to the depletion of his merit and resulted in his being cast down and reproached by the inhabitants of heaven.