Shloka 26
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
न चेत् करिष्यसि वच: सुहृदामरिकर्शन । तप्स्यसे वाहिनीं दृष्टवा पार्थबाणप्रपीडिताम्,'शत्रुसूदन! यदि तुम सुहृदोंकी बातें नहीं मानोगे तो अपनी सेनाको अर्जुनके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित होती देखकर पछताओगे
na cet kariṣyasi vacaḥ suhṛdām arikarśana | tapsyase vāhinīṁ dṛṣṭvā pārthabāṇaprapīḍitām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O subduer of foes, if you do not act in accordance with the counsel of your well-wishers, you will later burn with remorse when you see your army grievously tormented by the arrows of Pārtha (Arjuna).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heed the counsel of well-wishers; rejecting prudent advice leads to foreseeable harm and later remorse—especially in matters of war where decisions carry collective consequences.
The narrator warns a warrior addressed as “arikarśana” that if he refuses the advice of his friends, he will soon regret it upon witnessing his forces suffering under Arjuna’s devastating archery.