Shloka 41
द्रुमा: केचन सामन्ता ध्रुवं छिन्दन्ति तानपि । ते चापि निपतन्तो<न्यान् निधघ्नन्त्येव वनस्पतीन्,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
drumāḥ kecit sāmantā dhruvaṃ chindanti tān api | te cāpi nipatanto 'nyān nidhaghnanty eva vanaspatīn |
“Some trees standing nearby are certainly cut down as well. And those trees too, as they fall, inevitably strike down other plants. By this simile I make the principle of dharma clear: when Brahmins fell a tree for a sacrificial post, the act does not remain confined to a single trunk—collateral harm spreads outward, affecting even those that were not the original target.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights that actions—especially those undertaken for a stated purpose—often produce unavoidable secondary harm. Dharma requires awareness of such cascading consequences and careful judgment, not a narrow focus on the initial intention alone.
Bhīṣma uses a concrete example from ritual practice: when a tree is cut for a sacrificial post, nearby trees are also cut, and falling trunks damage other plants. The image illustrates how one act can propagate destruction beyond its immediate target.