Shloka 153
Kṣānti–Tejas Viveka: Prahlāda’s Instruction to Bali
Draupadī’s Application
मादृश: प्रसजेत् कस्मात् सुयोधनवधादपि । झूठसे सत्य श्रेष्ठ है। क्रूरतासे दयालुता श्रेष्ठ है, अतः दुर्योधन मेरा वध कर डाले तो भी इस प्रकार अनेक दोषोंसे भरे हुए और सत्पुरुषोंद्वारा परित्यक्त क्रोधका मेरे-जैसा पुरुष कैसे उपयोग कर सकता है?
mādṛśaḥ prasajet kasmāt suyodhanavadhād api | satyaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ mṛṣāto hi krūratāyā dayā śreyasī | ato duryodhano māṃ hanyād api tathāpi bahudoṣabhṛtaṃ sadbhiḥ parityaktaṃ krodhaṃ kathaṃ mādṛśa upayuñjīta ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Por que um homem como eu recorreria à ira — mesmo para a morte de Suyodhana? A verdade é superior à falsidade; a compaixão é superior à crueldade. Portanto, ainda que Duryodhana me matasse, como poderia alguém como eu fazer uso da ira — um impulso carregado de faltas e rejeitado pelos virtuosos?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira upholds dharma through inner restraint: truth and compassion are superior virtues, and anger—seen as morally defective and shunned by the virtuous—should not be adopted even in the face of grave provocation or mortal threat.
In the Vana Parva context of hardship and conflict with the Kauravas, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how to respond to Duryodhana’s hostility. He argues that even if Duryodhana were to kill him, he should not abandon his ethical commitments by resorting to anger.