Mahabharata · Yaksa Prasna (Vana Parva, vulgate ed.)

Mahabharata 3.313.91-92 meaning

kah shatrur durjayah punsam kash cha vyadhir anantakah keedrishash cha smritah sadhur asadhuh keedrishah smritah krodhah sudurjayah shatrur lobho vyadhir anantakah sarvabhootahitah sadhur asadhur nirdayah smritah

कः शत्रुर्दुर्जयः पुंसां कश्च व्याधिरनन्तकः। कीदृशश्च स्मृतः साधुरसाधुः कीदृशः स्मृतः॥ क्रोधः सुदुर्जयः शत्रुर्लोभो व्याधिरनन्तकः। सर्वभूतहितः साधुरसाधुर्निर्दयः स्मृतः॥

Yaksha: Which enemy is hardest to defeat, which disease never ends, who is a good person, and who is a bad one? Yudhishthira: Anger is the hardest enemy to conquer, greed is the endless disease, a good person works for the welfare of all, and a bad person is one without mercy.

What it means

The toughest opponent is not outside you; it is your own temper. Greed never gets cured by getting more. And the test of a good person is simple: do they care about everyone's welfare, or have they lost mercy?

हिंदी में अर्थ

यक्ष: सबसे कठिन शत्रु कौन है, कौन सा रोग कभी खत्म नहीं होता, सज्जन कौन है और दुर्जन कौन? युधिष्ठिर: क्रोध सबसे कठिन शत्रु है, लोभ कभी न खत्म होने वाला रोग है, सबका भला चाहने वाला सज्जन है और निर्दयी दुर्जन है।

सबसे बड़ा दुश्मन बाहर नहीं, अपना गुस्सा है। लालच ज़्यादा पाने से कभी ठीक नहीं होता। अच्छे इंसान की पहचान सीधी है: क्या वह सबका भला चाहता है, या उसमें दया ही नहीं बची?

Spoken by Yaksha, Yudhishthira.

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