Shloka 40
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
आत्मानं तक्षति होष वनं परशुना यथा । यः सम्यग्वर्तमानेषु मिथ्या राजनू् प्रवर्तते
ātmānaṃ takṣati hoṣa vanaṃ paraśunā yathā | yaḥ samyagvartamāneṣu mithyā rājan pravartate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, just as one hews down a forest with an axe, so does a man cut down his own self when, among those who are acting rightly, he proceeds on a false course.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrong conduct in the midst of right-minded people ultimately harms the doer himself; ethical deviation is self-destructive, like felling a forest with an axe.
Vaiśampāyana continues his instruction to the king (Janamejaya), using a vivid simile to warn that choosing a false path—especially when dharma is evident around one—amounts to cutting down one’s own welfare and integrity.