Shloka 47
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
यदि वासौ समृद्धः स्याद् यदि वाप्यधनो भवेत् | यदि वाप्यसमर्थ: स्याज्ज्ञेयमस्य चिकीर्षितम्,उत्तर देनेवाला पुरुष धनवान् हो या निर्धन, समर्थ हो या असमर्थ, वह क्या करना चाहता है, इस बातको जाननेका प्रयत्न कीजिये'
yadi vāsau samṛddhaḥ syād yadi vāpy adhano bhavet | yadi vāpy asamarthaḥ syāj jñeyam asya cikīrṣitam ||
“Quer o homem que venha trazer a resposta seja próspero ou pobre, capaz ou incapaz — esforçai-vos por discernir o que ele verdadeiramente pretende fazer. O valor de uma resposta não se mede pela condição de quem fala, mas pelo propósito e pela firmeza que se ocultam por trás de suas palavras.”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not evaluate counsel or responses by external markers like wealth or capability alone; instead, ascertain the speaker’s real intention (cikīrṣitam). Ethical judgment requires insight into purpose, not merely status.
Yudhiṣṭhira is giving guidance on how to assess a person who offers an answer or counsel: regardless of whether the respondent is rich or poor, competent or not, one should try to understand what he is aiming to accomplish.