Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
परदारे न ते बुद्धिर्जातु कार्या कथंचन । विवर्जनं हाकार्याणामेतत् सुपुरुषव्रतम्
paradāre na te buddhir jātu kāryā kathaṃcana | vivarjanaṃ hākāryāṇām etat supuruṣa-vratam ||
परदारे न ते बुद्धिर्जातु कार्या कथंचन। विवर्जनं ह्यकार्याणामेतत्सुपुरुषव्रतम्॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse teaches restraint and moral clarity: one should never direct one’s intention toward another man’s wife, and one should wholly abandon actions deemed improper; such renunciation is presented as the hallmark vow of a noble person.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, articulates a dharma-oriented maxim within the Virāṭa Parva context, emphasizing ethical conduct and self-control as guiding principles for noble behavior.