Shloka 17

Kṣānti–Tejas Viveka: Prahlāda’s Instruction to Bali

Draupadī’s Application

Devanagari script

यस्तु क्रोधं समुत्पन्नं प्रज्ञया प्रतिबाधते

Transliteration

yastu krodhaṃ samutpannaṃ prajñayā pratibādhate

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Whoever, when anger has arisen, checks and restrains it through discerning wisdom—he acts in the way of dharma, mastering himself rather than being mastered by passion.”

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• क्रोधम्: anger
• क्रोधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समुत्पन्नम्: arisen, sprung up
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उत्-√पद् (धातु) → समुत्पन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रज्ञया: by wisdom, with discernment
• प्रज्ञया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रतिबाधते: checks, restrains, wards off
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√बाध् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Anger may arise naturally, but the ethical ideal is to restrain it through prajñā—clear, discriminating wisdom—so that one’s actions remain aligned with dharma rather than driven by impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva’s reflective discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of conduct: true strength lies in mastering inner anger with wisdom, a key virtue for a ruler and for anyone seeking righteous living amid hardship.