Shloka 24
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
कुलीनस्य च या निन्दा वधो वामित्रकर्शन । महागुणो वधो राजन् न तु निन्दा कुजीविका
kulīnasya ca yā nindā vadho vā mitrakarśana | mahāguṇo vadho rājan na tu nindā kujīvikā ||
ಹೇ ಶತ್ರುಕರ್ಷಣ! ಕುಲೀನನಿಗೆ ನಿಂದೆಯೋ ವಧವೋ ಬಂದರೂ, ಹೇ ರಾಜನ್, ವಧವೇ ಮಹಾಗುಣ; ನಿಂದೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. ನಿಂದೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬದುಕುವುದು ನೀಚ ಜೀವನೋಪಾಯ।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
For the noble-minded, preserving honor is paramount: an honorable death may be morally elevating, but sustaining life through disgrace is condemned as an ignoble way of living.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a kṣatriya-centered ethical stance: when faced with the prospect of dishonor, accepting death can be preferable to compromising one’s dignity and dharma.