Shloka 6
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
कृपानुकम्पा कारुण्यमानृशंस्यं च भारत । तथा<अथ्जवं क्षमा सत्यं कुरुष्वेतद् विशिष्यते
kṛpānukampā kāruṇyam ānṛśaṃsyaṃ ca bhārata | tathā ārjavam kṣamā satyaṃ kuruṣv etad viśiṣyate ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच— कृपानुकम्पा कारुण्यमानृशंस्यं च भारत । तथा आर्जवं क्षमा सत्यं कुरुष्वेतद् विशिष्यते ॥ अन्येषां राजवंशानां तुलनया कुरुषु एते गुणा विशेषेण दृश्यन्ते—कृपा, अनुकम्पा, करुणा, अनृशंसता, आर्जवम्, क्षमा, सत्यं च।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises a dharmic ideal for rulers: a Kuru is distinguished not merely by power or birth, but by humane virtues—mercy, compassion, non-cruelty, straightforwardness, patience, and truth. Ethical excellence is presented as the true mark of nobility.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war setting, Vaiśampāyana narrates and characterizes the Kuru lineage by highlighting its traditional moral qualities, implicitly setting a standard against which the coming actions of the Kurus will be judged.