Shloka 14
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
गृहीतवाक्यो नयविद् वदान्य: शेषान्नभोक्ता हाविहिंसकश्न । नानर्थकृत्याकुलितः कृतज्ञः सत्यो मृदुः स्वर्गमुपैति विद्वान्
gṛhītavākyo nayavid vadānyaḥ śeṣānna-bhoktā hāvi-hiṁsakaś ca | nānarthakṛtyākulitaḥ kṛtajñaḥ satyo mṛduḥ svargam upaiti vidvān ||
毗度罗说：智者能听从长者之训，通晓正当之策，慷慨施与，只食供献之后所余之食，远离暴害，不陷于无益而有害之事，知恩报德，言行真实，性情柔和——如此有学之人，得升天界。
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura defines the ethical profile of a truly wise person: receptive to good counsel, skilled in right conduct, generous, disciplined in consumption (accepting only what is ritually and morally ‘left over’), non-violent, free from futile/harmful pursuits, grateful, truthful, and gentle. Such integrated virtues are said to lead to spiritual merit and a blessed destiny (svarga).
In the Udyoga Parva, as negotiations and preparations for the Kurukṣetra war intensify, Vidura offers moral and practical instruction (nīti) to restrain passion and guide decision-making. This verse functions as a compact standard of conduct—contrasting the calm, dharmic person with those driven toward destructive, anartha-producing actions.