Shloka 33
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
रोहते सायकैरिंद्ध वनं परशुना हतम् । वाचा दुरुक्तं बीभत्सं न संरोहति वाक्क्षतम्,बाणोंसे बिंधा और फरसेसे कटा हुआ वन पुन: अंकुरित हो जाता है, किंतु दुर्वचनरूपी शस्त्रसे किया हुआ भयंकर घाव कभी नहीं भरता है
rohate sāyakair iddhaṁ vanaṁ paraśunā hatam | vācā duruktaṁ bībhatsaṁ na saṁrohati vākkṣatam ||
Bhishma said: A forest, even when pierced by arrows and felled by the axe, can grow back again; but the dreadful wound inflicted by harsh, ill-spoken words does not heal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Physical damage can recover, but cruelty in speech creates deep, lasting injury; therefore one should practice restraint, truthfulness, and gentleness in words as part of dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on righteous conduct, he uses a vivid comparison—forests regrow after weapons, but a ‘speech-wound’ does not—to warn against abusive or harsh language.