Shloka 10
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
आसमज्नमन्निं तु निदाघकाले गम्भीरकक्षे गहने विसृज्य । यथा विवृद्ध॑ वायुवशेन शोचेत् क्षेमं मुमुक्षु:ः शिशिरव्यपाये,संजय! जैसे कोई मनुष्य शिशिर-ऋतु बीतनेपर ग्रीष्म-ऋतुकी दोपहरीमें बहुत घास- फ़ूससे भरे हुए गहन वनमें आग लगा दे और जब हवा चलनेसे वह आग सब ओर फैलकर अपने निकट आ जाय, तब उसकी ज्वालासे अपने-आपको बचानेके लिये वह कुशल- क्षेमकी इच्छा रखकर बार-बार शोक करने लगे, उसी प्रकार आज राजा धुृतराष्ट्र सारा ऐश्वर्य अपने अधिकारमें करके खोटी बुद्धिवाले, उद्दण्ड, भाग्यहीन, मूर्ख और किसी अच्छे मन्त्रीकी सलाहके अनुसार न चलनेवाले अपने पुत्र दुर्योधनका पक्ष लेकर अब किसलिये (दीनकी भाँति) विलाप करते हैं?
saṁjaya uvāca |
āsamajnam agniṁ tu nidāghakāle gambhīrakakṣe gahane visṛjya |
yathā vivṛddho vāyuvaśena śocet kṣemaṁ mumukṣuḥ śiśiravyapāye ||
Sanjaya said: Just as a man, after kindling fire in the heat of summer within a dense forest full of deep thickets, later laments again and again—when that fire, driven by the wind, grows and spreads on every side and comes close—seeking only his own safety once the cool season has passed; so too does King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, having held all sovereignty in his grasp, now wail like a helpless man after choosing the side of his son Duryodhana—ill-advised, arrogant, luckless, foolish, and unwilling to follow the counsel of any good minister. What “security” does he hope for now?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
One who knowingly unleashes a destructive course—ignoring wise counsel—cannot later claim innocence when consequences close in. The verse condemns Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s attachment-driven partiality and portrays his lament as self-caused, like a man endangered by the very fire he set.
Sanjaya uses a vivid simile of a wind-driven forest fire to describe Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s present distress. Having supported Duryodhana despite good advice, the king now fears the approaching calamity of conflict and mourns, seeking safety after empowering the very forces that threaten him.