Shloka 23
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
न तथा वक्तुमिच्छन्ति कल्याणान् पुरुषे गुणान् | यथैषां वक्तुमिच्छन्ति नैर्गुण्यमनुयुझजका:
na tathā vaktum icchanti kalyāṇān puruṣe guṇān | yathaiṣāṃ vaktum icchanti nairguṇyam anuyujjakāḥ ||
ஒருவரின் நற்குணங்களைப் பேச மக்கள் அவ்வளவு விரும்பார்; ஆனால் பொறாமையால் குற்றம் தேடுவோர், அவனின் குறைபாடுகளைப் பரப்புவதில் மிகுந்த ஆர்வம் காட்டுவர்.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
Envy and fault-finding distort perception: people readily publicize others’ defects but hesitate to acknowledge their virtues. The verse urges ethical restraint in speech and a deliberate commitment to recognize and speak truthfully about goodness.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Haṃsa speaks as a moral instructor, commenting on common human tendencies in social judgment—how detractors prefer to highlight demerits rather than praise noble qualities.