Shloka 5
अध्याय २९ — वासुदेव–संजय संवादः
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and the Ethics of Governance
न मर्मगां जातु वक्तासि रूक्षां नोपश्रुतिं कटुकां नोत मुक्ताम् । धर्मारामामर्थवतीमहिंस्रा- मेतां वाचं तव जानीम सूत
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
na marmagāṃ jātu vaktāsi rūkṣāṃ nopśrutiṃ kaṭukāṃ nota muktām |
dharmārāmām arthavatīm ahiṃsrām etāṃ vācaṃ tava jānīma sūta, sūta ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「おおスータよ、そなたの口から、急所を突くような言葉—粗く苦く、あるいは不用意に放たれた言葉—が出たことはない。乾いて味気ないことや、筋違いのことも語らぬ。そなたの言葉がダルマにかなうことを、われらはよく知っている。正しき者には心地よく、目的にかなった意味を備え、害そうという意図をまったく含まぬのだ。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds ‘right speech’: words should not be cruel or strike at another’s vulnerable core, should avoid bitter gossip or careless utterance, and should be aligned with dharma—pleasant in a righteous way, meaningful, and non-harmful in intention.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Sūta respectfully, commending him for consistently speaking in a dharmic, purposeful, and non-violent manner—setting a moral tone for counsel amid rising conflict.