Shloka 15
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
मुहूर्त ज्वलितं श्रेयो न च धूमायितं चिरम् । मा ह सम कस्यचिद् गेहे जनि राज्ञ: खरो मृदु:
muhūrtaṃ jvalitaṃ śreyo na ca dhūmāyitaṃ ciram | mā ha sama kasyacid gehe jani rājñaḥ kharo mṛduḥ ||
Vāyu disse: “Melhor é arder com brilho, ainda que por breve instante, do que fumegar por muito tempo, sem chama. E que nunca aconteça que, na casa de algum rei, nasça um homem excessivamente duro ou excessivamente brando.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True excellence is like a clear flame—decisive and luminous—even if brief; prolonged, smoky smouldering suggests indecision and ineffective action. For rulers, the verse warns against extremes of temperament: excessive harshness becomes cruelty, while excessive softness becomes weakness; both harm governance and dharma.
Vāyudeva is giving pointed counsel in the Udyoga Parva context, where questions of policy, resolve, and royal conduct are urgent. He uses a fire metaphor to urge clarity and effectiveness, then applies it to kingship by cautioning that a king’s household should not produce men of extreme harshness or extreme gentleness.