Shloka 206
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma
उद्यम्य धुरमुत्कर्षेदाजानेयकृतं स्मरन् | मनुष्य डूबते समय अथवा ऊँचेसे नीचे गिरते समय भी शत्रुकी टाँग अवश्य पकड़े और ऐसा करते समय यदि अपना मूलोच्छेद हो जाय तो भी किसी प्रकार विषाद न करे। अच्छी जातिके घोड़े न तो थकते हैं और न शिथिल ही होते हैं। उनके इस कार्यको स्मरण करके अपने ऊपर रखे हुए युद्ध आदिके भारको उद्योगपूर्वक वहन करे
udyamya dhuram utkarṣed ājāneyakṛtaṁ smaran | manuṣyaḥ ḍūbate samaye athavā ūñcese nīce girate samaye'pi śatror ṭāṅg avaśya pakṛe, evaṁ kurvan yadi svamūlocchedaḥ syāt tathāpi kathaṁcid viṣādaṁ na kuryāt | sujātikā aśvā na thakanti na ca śithilā bhavanti | teṣāṁ karma smṛtvā svopari nihitaṁ yuddhādika-bhāraṁ udyogapūrvakaṁ vahet |
Vāyu-deva said: “Rouse yourself and lift the yoke to bear it, remembering what noble-bred horses accomplish. Even when a man is sinking or falling from a height, he must still seize the enemy by the leg; and even if, in doing so, his very root is cut off—his life itself is destroyed—he should not give way to despair. Well-bred horses neither tire nor grow slack. Recalling their example, one should carry the burden of war and other duties laid upon oneself with steadfast effort.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain unwavering effort and courage in one’s appointed duty—especially in crisis—without yielding to despair, taking inspiration from the tireless endurance of well-bred horses that bear the yoke.
Vāyu-deva delivers an exhortation on steadfastness: even in life-threatening situations (sinking or falling), one should continue resisting the enemy and carrying one’s responsibilities, using the horse-and-yoke image to model disciplined endurance in the context of impending war.