Shloka 22
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
श्रुत्वा यः सुहृदां शास्त्र मर्त्यो न प्रतिपद्यते । विपाकान्ते दहत्येनं किम्पाकमिव भक्षितम्
śrutvā yaḥ suhṛdāṃ śāstraṃ martyo na pratipadyate | vipākānte dahaty enaṃ kimpākam iva bhakṣitam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “A mortal who, even after hearing scripturally sound counsel from well-wishing friends, does not accept it—his very refusal burns him later, at the time of its consequence, just as the kimpāka fruit, once eaten, produces a scorching pain at the end of digestion.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should accept and act upon dharmic, scripturally grounded advice given by well-wishers; rejecting it may seem harmless at first, but it later brings intense suffering when consequences mature—like poison that burns only after it has been consumed.
Vaiśaṃpāyana offers a moral reflection within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-heavy setting: as negotiations and warnings circulate before war, he underscores that ignoring sound guidance from true friends leads to inevitable, delayed anguish.