Shloka 29
Skanda-janma: Śivā/Svāhā, Agni, and the Manifestation of Guha
Mahābhārata 3.214
नित्यं क्रोधात् तपो रक्षेद् धर्म रक्षेच्च मत्सरात् । विद्यां मानापमानाभ्यामात्मानं तु प्रमादत:,सदा तपको क्रोधसे, धर्मको द्वेषसे, विद्याकों मान-अपमानसे और अपने-आपको प्रमादसे बचाना चाहिये
nityaṁ krodhāt tapo rakṣed dharmaṁ rakṣec ca matsarāt | vidyāṁ mānāpamānābhyām ātmānaṁ tu pramādataḥ ||
The hunter said: “Always guard your austerity from anger; guard dharma from envy. Guard learning from the twin pressures of honor and dishonor, and guard your very self from heedlessness.” In this counsel, the speaker maps common inner enemies to the virtues they most easily destroy, urging steady self-watchfulness as the basis of righteous living.
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Virtues are preserved by identifying and restraining their most direct inner threats: anger ruins austerity, envy corrodes dharma, concern with praise/blame distorts learning, and heedlessness endangers the whole person. The verse teaches vigilant self-governance as the foundation of ethical life.
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the hunter (vyādha) instructs a seeker in dharma, he offers concise practical guidance: a set of paired warnings that link common emotions and social pressures to the spiritual and moral disciplines they undermine.