युधिछिर उवाच महाज्ञानमहड्कारो दम्भो धर्मो ध्वजोच्छूय: । दैवं दानफल प्रोक्तं पैशुन्यं परदूषणम्,युधिष्ठिर बोले--महान् अज्ञान अहंकार है, अपनेको झूठ-मूठ बड़ा धर्मात्मा प्रसिद्ध करना दम्भ है, दानका फल दैव कहलाता है और दूसरोंको दोष लगाना पैशुन्य (चुगली) है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | mahājñānam ahaṅkāro dambho dharmo dhvajocchrayaḥ | daivaṃ dānaphalaṃ proktaṃ paiśunyaṃ paradūṣaṇam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira menjawab: “Keakuan sejatinya adalah kebodohan besar. Dambha ialah memamerkan diri seolah-olah sangat saleh. Buah dari memberi (dāna) disebut ‘daiva’. Dan paiśunya ialah mencela, mencari-cari aib, serta menjelekkan orang lain.”
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse defines key moral pitfalls: ego is treated as profound ignorance; hypocrisy is the public display of righteousness; charity yields a providential fruit; and malicious gossip consists in blaming and defaming others. It urges inner sincerity, humility, and restraint in speech.
In a didactic exchange in the Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates concise definitions of ethical terms—clarifying what truly counts as pride, hypocrisy, the result of charity, and slander—so that conduct can be judged by inner truth rather than outward show.