Shloka 40
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
उपमामत्र वक्ष्यामि धर्मतत्त्वप्रकाशिनीम् । यूपं छिन्दन्ति यज्ञार्थ तत्र ये परिपन्थिन:,अब मैं यहाँ धर्मके तत्त्वको प्रकाशित करनेवाली एक उपमा बता रहा हूँ। ब्राह्मणलोग यज्ञके लिये यूप निर्माण करनेके उद्देश्यसे वृक्षका छेदन करते हैं। उस वृक्षको काटकर बाहर निकालनेमें जो-जो पार्श्ववर्ती वृक्ष बाधक होते हैं उन्हें भी निश्चय ही वे काट डालते हैं। वे वृक्ष भी गिरते समय दूसरे-दूसरे वनस्पतियोंको भी प्राय: तोड़ ही डालते हैं
upamām atra vakṣyāmi dharmatattvaprakāśinīm | yūpaṃ chindanti yajñārthaṃ tatra ye paripanथinaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Here I shall state an analogy that illuminates the true principle of dharma. When people cut wood for a sacrifice in order to make the yūpa (sacrificial post), they fell the chosen tree; and in dragging it out, whatever neighboring trees obstruct the way are also cut down. Those trees, as they fall, often break other plants as well.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma uses a ritual analogy to show that actions undertaken for a chosen end (even a sacred one) can produce unavoidable secondary harm; therefore dharma must be understood with attention to consequences, not merely intention.
Bhīṣma begins an illustrative comparison: to make a sacrificial post, people cut a tree and, while extracting it, also cut obstructing trees; the falling trees further damage other plants—an image of cascading effects caused by a single purposeful act.