Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 11
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 52: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava Strength and the Case for Restraint
बहुश्रुतः कृतात्मा च वृद्धसेवी जितेन्द्रिय: । त॑ सर्वगुणसम्पन्न॑ं समिद्धमिव पावकम्
bahuśrutaḥ kṛtātmā ca vṛddhasevī jitendriyaḥ | taṁ sarvaguṇasampannaṁ samiddham iva pāvakam ||
धृतराष्ट्र बोले—“वह बहुश्रुत, संयमी, वृद्धों की सेवा में तत्पर और इन्द्रियों को जीतने वाला है—समस्त गुणों से सम्पन्न, प्रज्वलित अग्नि के समान दहकता हुआ।”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal noble character: learning must be joined with inner discipline, service to elders, and mastery of the senses; such integrated virtue shines outward, compared to a blazing, purifying fire.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes (and commends) a person of exemplary qualities, using a vivid simile—like a well-kindled fire—to emphasize the visible power of virtue and self-control in a leader or counselor.