Shloka 2
उन्नतेषूतन्नता षट्सु सूक्ष्मा सूक्ष्मेषु पडचसु । गम्भीरा त्रिषु गम्भीरेष्वियं रक्ता च पउचसु
unnateṣu utannatā ṣaṭsu sūkṣmā sūkṣmeṣu paḍacasu | gambhīrā triṣu gambhīreṣv iyaṃ raktā ca paucaṣu
ナーラダは言った。「それ（原理／性質）は、高き者の中では高まり、屈する者の中では屈する。六においては微妙であり、微妙なるものの中ではさらに微妙である。三においては深く、深きものの中ではさらに深い。さらに五においては『赤い』—欲と執着に染められている。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a riddle-like moral psychology: an inner principle (often read as desire, disposition, or the mind’s coloring) changes intensity and character according to the company or domain—becoming subtler among the subtle, deeper among the deep, and passion-tinted where attachments prevail—implying the need for vigilance and self-mastery.
Nārada speaks in a compact, enigmatic style, using numbered sets (‘six’, ‘three’, ‘five’) to describe how a single quality manifests differently across different categories. Such verses typically function as didactic riddles within counsel or instruction in the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberative setting.