धार्तराष्ट्रा वनं राजन् व्याघ्राः पाण्डुसुता मताः ॥
मा वनं छिन्धि सव्याघ्रं मा व्याघ्रान् नीनशो वनात् ॥
न स्याद् वनम् ऋते व्याघ्रान् व्याघ्रा न स्युर् ऋते वनम् ॥
वनं हि रक्ष्यते व्याघ्रैर् व्याघ्रान् रक्षति काननम् ॥
न तथेच्छन्त्य् अकल्याणाः परेषां वेदितुं गुणान् ॥
यथैषां ज्ञातुम् इच्छन्ति नैर्गुण्यं पापचेतसः ॥
अर्थसिद्धिं पराम् इच्छन् धर्मम् एवादितश् चरेत् ॥
न हि धर्माद् अपैत्य् अर्थः स्वर्गलोकाद् इवामृतम् ॥
यस्यात्मा विरतः पापात् कल्याणे च निवेशितः ॥
तेन सर्वम् इदं बुद्धं प्रकृतिर् विकृतिश् च या ॥
dhārtarāṣṭrā vanaṃ rājan vyāghrāḥ pāṇḍusutā matāḥ ||
mā vanaṃ chindhi savyāghraṃ mā vyāghrān nīnaśo vanāt ||
na syād vanam ṛte vyāghrān vyāghrā na syur ṛte vanam ||
vanaṃ hi rakṣyate vyāghrair vyāghrān rakṣati kānanam ||
na tathecchanty akalyāṇāḥ pareṣāṃ vedituṃ guṇān ||
yathaiṣāṃ jñātum icchanti nairguṇyaṃ pāpacetasaḥ ||
arthasiddhiṃ parām icchan dharmam evāditaś caret ||
na hi dharmād apaity arthaḥ svargalokād ivāmṛtam ||
yasyātmā virataḥ pāpāt kalyāṇe ca niveśitaḥ ||
tena sarvam idaṃ buddhaṃ prakṛtir vikṛtiś ca yā ||
"O king, the sons of Dhritarashtra are the forest, and the sons of Pandu, I think, are its tigers. Oh, do not cut down this forest along with its tigers! Oh, let not the tigers be driven out of this forest! There can be no forest without tigers, and no tigers without a forest. The forest shelters the tigers, and the tigers guard the forest!" Sinful men never seek to learn the good qualities of others, but only their faults. He who desires the highest success in all matters touching worldly gain should practice virtue from the very outset, for true profit never departs from righteousness, just as immortality never departs from the heavenly world. He whose soul is turned away from sin and firmly set upon what is good has come to understand all things in their natural and their altered states; he who follows righteousness, profit and desire each in its proper season attains, both here and hereafter, the combination of all three. He who curbs the sudden surge of anger and of joy, and who never, O king, loses his judgment amid calamities, attains prosperity. Hear me, O king. It is said that men possess five distinct kinds of strength, of which the strength of arms is reckoned the lowest.
71ac38f67dca · published Jul 17, 2026, 4:02:44 AM UTC
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This passage (5.37.41-45) develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace unfolding already against the backdrop of an unavoidable war. Key theme: dharma. Dharma reveals itself here through speech, the choice of an embassy, fidelity to one's promises, and the responsibility of kings for the consequences of their decisions.