Shloka 11
Jarītā-Śārṅgaka-saṃvādaḥ — The Dialogue of Jaritā and the Śārṅgaka Chicks
Fire-escape deliberation
न हायुक्त न चासत्यं नासहां न च वाप्रियम् । भाषितं चारुभाषस्य जज्ञे पार्थस्य धीमत:
na hāyuktaṃ na cāsatyaṃ nāsahāṃ na ca vāpriyam | bhāṣitaṃ cārubhāṣasya jajñe pārthasya dhīmataḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。賢きパールタ—クンティーの子ユディシュティラ、つねに言葉柔らかなその人—の口から、不適切、虚偽、苛烈、あるいは人を不快にする言葉が生じたことはない。彼の言は礼にかない、真実にかない、節度に支えられており、言語の戒めという倫理の理想を体現していた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical ideal of speech: one should avoid words that are improper (ayukta), false (asatya), harsh (asahā), or unpleasant (apriya). Yudhiṣṭhira is praised as embodying disciplined, truthful, and considerate speech—an aspect of dharma expressed through verbal conduct.
Vaiśampāyana is describing Yudhiṣṭhira’s character. In the course of narrating the epic’s events, he highlights Yudhiṣṭhira’s consistent virtue: his speech is always gentle and never deviates into impropriety, falsehood, harshness, or offensiveness.