Shloka 24
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
कुलीनस्य च या निन्दा वधो वामित्रकर्शन । महागुणो वधो राजन् न तु निन्दा कुजीविका
kulīnasya ca yā nindā vadho vā mitrakarśana | mahāguṇo vadho rājan na tu nindā kujīvikā ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O manlulupig sa kaaway, sa taong marangal ang angkan, maaaring dumating ang kamatayan o ang paninisi; ngunit, O hari, ang kamatayan ay maaaring maging dakilang kabutihan, samantalang ang mabuhay sa kahihiyan ay isang kasuklam-suklam na kabuhayan. Mas mabuting tanggapin ang marangal na wakas kaysa magtaguyod ng buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagkapahiya.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
For the noble-minded, preserving honor is paramount: an honorable death may be morally elevating, but sustaining life through disgrace is condemned as an ignoble way of living.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a kṣatriya-centered ethical stance: when faced with the prospect of dishonor, accepting death can be preferable to compromising one’s dignity and dharma.