Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 13
कृष्णेन विदुरं प्रति आगमन-हेतु-निवेदनम् / Krishna explains the purpose of his coming to Vidura
यत्र सूक्त दुरुक्ते च सम॑ स्यान्मधुसूदन । न तत्र प्रलपेत् प्राज्ञो बधिरेष्विव गायन:
yatra sūkta-durukte ca samaṁ syān madhusūdana | na tatra pralapet prājño badhireṣv iva gāyanaḥ ||
「おおマドゥスーダナよ。善き言葉も悪しき言葉も同じ結末を招くところでは、賢者は言葉を費やしてはならぬ。そこで語るのは無益—聾者の前で旋律を歌うがごとし。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Discerning speech is part of wisdom: when good counsel and bad speech are met with the same reception and yield the same result, speaking becomes pointless. One should conserve words and avoid futile argument where there is no capacity or willingness to listen.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker addresses Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana) and reflects on the limits of counsel: in a setting where words—whether good or bad—make no difference, a prudent person refrains from speaking, likening it to singing before the deaf.