Shloka 27
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
“जो मनुष्य सत्पुरुषोंकी सम्मतिका उल्लंघन करके दुष्टोंक मतके अनुसार चलता है, उसके सुहृद् उसे शीघ्र ही विपत्तिमें पड़ा देख शोकके भागी होते हैं ।।
mukhyān amātyān utsṛjya yonihīnān niṣevate | sa ghorām āpadaṁ prāpya nottāram adhigacchati ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: He who violates the counsel approved by the good and follows the opinions of the wicked—his well-wishers soon grieve to see him fallen into misfortune. And he who abandons his principal ministers and instead associates with base and unworthy men falls into a dreadful calamity and finds no way out.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (or any person) should heed the counsel approved by the virtuous and rely on competent, principal advisers; abandoning them to follow base or wicked influences leads to severe disaster with no clear path to recovery.
In the Udyoga Parva’s deliberative context, Vaiśaṃpāyana states a general maxim on governance and conduct: rejecting trusted ministers and aligning with unworthy associates brings imminent calamity, causing even one’s friends to grieve.