Chapter 114

“Yudhishthira said, ‘How, O Bharata, should a learned man adorned withmodesty behave, O chastiser of foes, when assailed with harsh speeches inthe midst of assemblies by an ignorant person swelling with conceit?'[346]

“Bhishma said, ‘Listen, O lord of earth, how the subject has been treatedof (in the scriptures), how a person of good soul should endure in thisworld the abusive speeches of persons of little intelligence. If aperson, when abused by another, do not yield to wrath, he is then sure totake away (the merit of) all the good deeds that have been done by theabuser. The endurer, in such a case, communicates the demerit of all hisown bad acts to the person who under the influence of wrath indulges inabuse. An intelligent man should disregard an abusive language whoresembles, after all, only a Tittibha uttering dissonant cries.[347] Onewho yields to hate is said to live in vain. A fool may often be heard tosay, ‘Such a respectable man was addressed by me in such words amid suchan assembly of men,’ and to even boast of that wicked act. He would add,’Abused by me, the man remained silent as if dead with shame. Even thusdoes a shameless man boast of an act about which no one should boast.Such a wretch among men should carefully be disregarded. The man ofwisdom should endure everything that such a person of little intelligencemay say. What can a vulgar fellow do by either his praise or his blame?He is even like a crow that caws uselessly in the woods. If those whoaccuse others by only their words could establish those accusations bysuch means, then, perhaps, their words would have been regarded to be ofsome value. As a fact, however, these words are as effective as thoseuttered by fools invoking death upon them with whom they quarrel.[348]That man simply proclaims his bastardy who indulges in such conduct andwords. Indeed, he is even like a peacock that dances while showing such apart of his body as should be ever concealed from the view.[349] A personof pure conduct should never even speak with that wight of sinful conductwho does not scruple to utter anything or do anything. That man who speakof one’s merits when one’s eye is upon him and who speaks ill of one whenone’s eye is withdrawn from him, is really like a dog. Such a personloses all his regions in heaven and the fruits of any knowledge andvirtue that he may have.[350] The man who speaks ill of one when one’seye is not upon him, loses without delay the fruits of all his libationson fire and of the gifts he may make unto even a hundred persons. A manof wisdom, therefore, should unhesitatingly avoid a person of such sinfulheart who deserves to be avoided by all honest men, as he would avoid theflesh of the dog. That wicked-souled wretch who proclaims the faults of ahigh-souled person, really publishes (by that act) his own evil natureeven as a snake displays his hood (when interfered with by others). Theman of sense who seeks to counteract such a back-biter ever engaged in anoccupation congenial to himself, finds himself in the painful conditionof a stupid ass sunk in a heap of ashes. A man who is ever engaged inspeaking ill of others should be avoided like a furious wolf, or aninfuriated elephant roaring in madness, or a fierce dog. Fie on thatsinful wretch who has betaken himself to the path of the foolish and hasfallen away from all wholesome restraints and modesty, who is alwaysengaged in doing what is injurious to others, and who is regardless ofhis own prosperity. If an honest man wishes to exchange words with suchwretches when they seek to humiliate him, he should be counselled inthese words: Do not suffer thyself to be afflicted. A wordy encounterbetween a high and a low person is always disapproved by persons oftranquil intelligence. A slanderous wretch, when enraged, may strikeanother with his palms, or throw dust or chaff at another, or frightenanother by showing or grinding his teeth. All this is well known. Thatman who endures the reproaches and slanders of wicked-souled wightsuttered in assemblies, or who reads frequently these instructions, neversuffers any pain occasioned by speech.’