Shloka 326
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
क्षमावान् निरमर्षश्न नैव स्त्री न पुन: पुमान् । जिस क्षत्रियके हृदयमें अमर्ष है और जो शत्रुओंके प्रति क्षमाभाव धारण नहीं करता
kṣamāvān niramārṣaś ca naiva strī na punaḥ pumān |
风神伐由说：“真正能忍而无报怨之心者，在武士的语境里，既不称‘女’，亦不称‘男’。使刹帝利得以称为‘男子’的，是胸中正义之怒的内火，是不以失当的宽恕纵容仇敌的决绝；而那只知宽宥、毫无这种昂扬意志的人，既不配称刹帝利，在那种说法里，甚至也不配称为真正的‘男子’。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts two dispositions—kṣamā (forbearance) and amarṣa (spirited indignation). In a Kṣatriya-centered moral idiom, mere forgiveness without martial resolve is criticized; the teaching asserts that a warrior’s identity is tied to protective firmness and intolerance of affronts or injustice, not to passive forbearance.
Vāyudeva is speaking within the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel and moral debate, where different voices articulate what conduct is appropriate as conflict approaches. Here he frames an idealized (and polemical) definition of Kṣatriya character, emphasizing mettle and readiness to oppose enemies.