Shloka 12
Kṣānti–Tejas Viveka: Prahlāda’s Instruction to Bali
Draupadī’s Application
विद्वांस्तथैव य:ः शक्तः क्लिश्यमानो न कुप्यति | अनाशयित्वा कलेष्टारं परलोके च नन्दति,इसी प्रकार जो विद्वान् पुरुष शक्तिशाली होकर भी दूसरोंद्वारा क्लेश दिये जानेपर स्वयं क्रोध नहीं करता, वह क्लेश देनेवालेका नाश न करके परलोकमें भी आनन्दका भागी होता है
vidvāṃs tathaiva yaḥ śaktaḥ kliśyamāno na kupyati | anāśayitvā kleṣṭāraṃ paraloke ca nandati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: A wise man who is also powerful, even when he is being afflicted by others, does not give way to anger. Without destroying the one who causes him suffering, he becomes a sharer of joy in the next world as well—because he chooses restraint and forbearance over retaliation.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one has the power to retaliate, the wise person practices restraint: he does not become angry when harmed and does not destroy the wrongdoer. Such forbearance is presented as dharmic conduct that yields happiness and merit, including in the afterlife (paraloka).
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral principle while reflecting on suffering and right conduct: he praises the ideal of a strong yet self-controlled person who endures provocation without anger and refrains from vengeance.