Shloka 32
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
मूर्ख मनुष्य केवल अपनी प्रशंसा करनेसे ही जगत्में ख्याति नहीं पा सकता। विद्वान् पुरुष गुफामें छिपा रहे तो भी उसकी सर्वत्र प्रसिद्धि हो जाती है ।।
nārada uvāca | mūrkho manuṣyaḥ kevalaṁ svapraśaṁsā-mātreṇa jagati khyātiṁ na prāpnoti | vidvān puruṣo guhāyāṁ channaḥ san api sarvatra prasiddhiṁ gacchati || asad uccair api proktaḥ śabdaḥ samupaśāmyati | dīpyate tv eva lokeṣu śanair api subhāṣitam ||
那罗陀说：“愚人不能仅凭自我吹嘘而在世间获得真正的名声；而贤者纵使隐居洞窟，声名亦遍传四方。恶言即便高声叫嚷，也很快消散于空，不为世人所敬；善言纵使轻声道出，也会渐渐照耀天下——其受敬与影响日益增长。”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True reputation arises from genuine learning and virtue, not from self-advertisement. Harmful or foolish talk, even if loudly proclaimed, quickly loses force; good and well-spoken counsel, even if offered quietly, spreads and gains honor over time.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct, Nārada delivers a moral observation about public esteem: the wise become known by their qualities even without display, while empty self-praise and loud bad speech fail to earn lasting respect.