Shloka 14
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
तच्छुत्वा स विचिन्त्याथ ततो वचनमत्रवीत्,यह सुनकर अलर्क कुछ देरतक सोचते-विचारते रहे, फिर (त्वचापर कुपित होकर) बोले
tac chrutvā sa vicintyātha tato vacanam abravīt
Hearing those words, Alarka reflected for a while; then, after deliberation, he spoke—his reply shaped by the moral weight of what he had just heard and the rising anger that followed.
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint in speech: one should first listen and reflect (vicintya) before responding, especially when anger arises, because words carry moral consequences.
Alarka hears something significant, pauses to think it over, and then begins his reply—signaling a transition from receiving counsel or provocation to delivering his own considered (and possibly anger-tinged) response.