Shloka 20
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
उत्तमानेव सेवेत प्राप्तकाले तु मध्यमान् । अधर्मांस्तु न सेवेत य इच्छेद् भूतिमात्मन:
uttamān eva seveta prāptakāle tu madhyamān | adharmāṁs tu na seveta ya icched bhūtim ātmanaḥ ||
जो आपल्या समृद्धीची वाढ इच्छितो, त्याने उत्तम पुरुषांचीच सेवा करावी; प्रसंग आल्यास मध्यमांचीही करावी; पण अधर्म्यांची सेवा कधीही करू नये.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
Choose association and service wisely: align with the excellent, accept the middling only when necessary, and never serve the unrighteous—because prosperity and true welfare depend on dharmic company.
Haṃsa delivers a didactic maxim within Udyoga Parva’s counsel-oriented setting, emphasizing prudent social alignment as a means to safeguard both ethical integrity and worldly flourishing.