Shloka 10

Devanagari script

परश्रेदेनमतिवादबाणै- भुशं विध्येच्छम एवेह कार्य: । संरोष्यमाण: प्रतिहृष्यते यः स आदत्ते सुकृतं वै परस्य,दूसरा कोई भी यदि इस विद्वान्‌ पुरुषको कटठु-वचनरूपी बाणोंसे बहुत अधिक चोट पहुँचाये तो भी उसे शान्त ही रहना चाहिये। जो दूसरोंके क्रोध करनेपर भी स्वयं बदलेमें प्रसन्न ही रहता है, वह उसके पुण्यको ग्रहण कर लेता है

Transliteration

paraśreḍenātivādabāṇaiḥ bhṛśaṃ vidhyeccham eveha kāryaḥ | saṃroṣyamāṇaḥ pratihṛṣyate yaḥ sa ādattē sukṛtaṃ vai parasya ||

Translation

Haṃsa berkata: Sekalipun seseorang berulang-ulang melukai orang bijak ini dengan anak panah tajam berupa ucapan yang keras dan berlebihan, hendaknya ia di dunia ini bertindak hanya dengan ketenangan dan pengendalian diri. Sebab orang yang, ketika yang lain marah, tetap ceria dan tak tergoyahkan sebagai balasan—dialah yang sungguh mengambil kebajikan (pahala) orang itu ke dalam dirinya.

Word by Word

• {'paraśreḍena': 'by another person

• by someone else (instrumental sense)', 'ativāda': 'excessive/overbearing speech

• abusive talk', 'bāṇaiḥ': 'with arrows (metaphor for words)', 'bhṛśam': 'greatly

• intensely', 'vidhyet': 'should pierce/strike (as with a weapon)', 'iha': 'here

• in this world/this situation', 'kāryaḥ': 'what should be done

• the proper course of action', 'saṃroṣyamāṇaḥ': 'when (the other is) becoming angry

• being provoked into anger', 'pratihṛṣyate': 'rejoices in return

• remains glad/pleasant', 'yaḥ': 'who (the person that)', 'saḥ': 'he (that person)', 'ādattē': 'takes

• receives', 'sukṛtam': 'merit

• spiritual credit', 'parasya': 'of the other

• belonging to another person', 'śānti': 'calmness

Speaker

हंस उवाच

Characters & Entities

• हंस (Haṃsa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not retaliate when attacked by harsh words; maintaining calm, even cheerful restraint in the face of another’s anger is presented as a powerful ethical victory that accrues merit to the patient person.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and self-mastery, the Haṃsa speaks as a moral teacher, using the metaphor of ‘arrows of speech’ to advise how a wise person should respond to verbal injury and provocation.