Shloka 30

Devanagari script

मत्तात्प्रमत्तात्‌ पौगण्डादुन्मत्ताच्च विशेषत: । तदभ्यासादुपावर्त संहितानां च सेवनात्‌,मतवाले, प्रमादी, बालक तथा विशेषत: पागलोंसे बचो। उनके निकट-सम्पर्कसे भी दूर रहो और यदि वे एक साथ रहकर सेवा करना चाहें तो उनकी उस सेवासे भी सर्वथा बचे रहो

Transliteration

mattāt pramattāt paugaṇḍād unmattāc ca viśeṣataḥ | tadabhyāsād upāvarta saṃhitānāṃ ca sevanāt ||

Translation

اُتَتھْیَہ نے کہا—نشے میں چور، غفلت شعار، نابالغ نوجوان، اور خصوصاً دیوانوں سے دور رہو۔ ان کی عادت بن جانے والی صحبت سے بھی ہٹ جاؤ، اور اگر وہ اکٹھے ہو کر قربت میں رہتے ہوئے خدمت کرنا چاہیں تو ایسی خدمت سے بھی بالکل بچو۔

Word by Word

मत्तात्from a drunk/intoxicated person

प्रमत्तात्from a careless/heedless person

पौगण्डात्from a boy/one in boyhood

उन्मत्तात्from a mad/frenzied person

चand

विशेषतःespecially

तत्by that / by their

अभ्यासात्from association/constant contact

उपावर्तturn away; keep away

संहितानाम्of those who are together/combined

चand

सेवनात्from service/attendance/association

Speaker

उतथ्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Utathya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should protect one’s character by avoiding close association and service to people who are intoxicated, heedless, immature, or mentally unstable, because habitual proximity normalizes their behavior and can corrupt one’s own judgment and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, the sage Utathya gives practical counsel: moral safety requires choosing one’s company carefully and withdrawing from environments where disorderly or irresponsible persons dominate.