Shloka 48
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
चलानि हीमानि षडिन्द्रियाणि तेषां यद् यद् वर्धते यत्र यत्र । ततस्ततः ख्रवते बुद्धिरस्य छिद्रोदकुम्भादिव नित्यमम्भ:
calāni hīmāni ṣaḍindriyāṇi teṣāṃ yad yad vardhate yatra yatra | tatastataḥ kṣarate buddhir asya chidrodakumbhād iva nityam ambhaḥ ||
毗度罗说：六根实在轻躁不定，常常奔逐。哪一根强盛而趋向何物，此人的辨识之智便在那一处不断流失——如同裂罐之水，终日渗漏不止。其义在于：不加守护的纵欲，会削弱判断与自制，而此二者乃行持正法与进献良策之根本。
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
If the senses are allowed to chase their objects unchecked, a person’s buddhi (discernment) steadily weakens. Ethical living requires guarding the senses so that judgment remains firm and capable of choosing dharma over impulse.
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-setting, Vidura instructs and warns about inner discipline. He uses a vivid simile—water leaking from a cracked pot—to show how a ruler or any person loses clarity and stability when the senses dominate.