Shloka 10
Kṣānti–Tejas Viveka: Prahlāda’s Instruction to Bali
Draupadī’s Application
मूढो यदि क्लिश्यमान: क्रुध्यते5शक्तिमान् नर: । बलीयसां मनुष्याणां त्यजत्यात्मानमात्मना,यदि मूढ़ एवं असमर्थ मनुष्य दूसरोंके द्वारा क्लेश दिये जानेपर स्वयं भी बलिष्ठ मनुष्योंपर क्रोध करता है तो वह अपने ही द्वारा अपने-आपका विनाश कर देता है
mūḍho yadi kliśyamānaḥ krudhyate'śaktimān naraḥ | balīyasāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ tyajaty ātmānam ātmanā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If a deluded and powerless man, when afflicted by others, becomes angry at those who are stronger, he brings about his own ruin by his own doing.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Anger without strength or strategy—especially directed at those more powerful—does not harm the opponent but rebounds upon oneself; dharma here emphasizes discernment, restraint, and choosing responses that do not lead to self-destruction.
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a reflective, ethical principle: when a weaker person, already suffering, reacts with rage against stronger people, that reaction becomes the cause of his own downfall—highlighting his characteristic counsel of patience and measured conduct.