Shloka 4
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
यश्चाभिजात: प्रकरोत्यकार्य यश्चाबलो बलिना नित्यवैरी । अश्रद्धधानाय च यो ब्रवीति यश्चाकाम्यं कामयते नरेन्द्र
yaścābhijātaḥ prakaroty akāryaṃ yaścābalo balinā nityavairī | aśraddadhānāya ca yo bravīti yaścākāmyaṃ kāmayate narendra ||
Vidura berkata: “Wahai raja, mereka pun termasuk yang tercela dan diseret ke neraka: orang yang meski berdarah mulia melakukan perbuatan yang tak patut; yang meski lemah memelihara permusuhan terus-menerus terhadap yang kuat; yang memberi ajaran kepada pendengar tanpa śraddhā; dan yang menginginkan hal yang tak patut diinginkan—yang dilarang śāstra atau tidak layak.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Noble birth is meaningless without right conduct; hostility must be proportionate to one’s capacity and guided by prudence; teaching should be offered where there is receptivity and faith; and desire must be restrained from forbidden or unwholesome objects. These are presented as markers of adharma leading to downfall.
In Vidura’s counsel to the king in Udyoga Parva, he enumerates types of people whose actions violate social and moral order. This verse lists four such patterns—misconduct despite good birth, futile enmity despite weakness, advising the faithless, and craving the unfit—as part of a broader warning about the consequences of unrighteous behavior.