Shloka 78
रोहते सायकैर्िंद्ध वनं परशुना हतम् । वाचा दुरुक्तं बीभत्सं न संरोहति वाक्क्षतम्,बाणोंसे बिंधा हुआ तथा फरसेसे काटा हुआ वन भी अंकुरित हो जाता है; किंतु कट वचन कहकर वाणीसे किया हुआ भयानक घाव नहीं भरता
rohate sāyakair viddhaṁ vanaṁ paraśunā hatam | vācā duruktaṁ bībhatsaṁ na saṁrohati vāk-kṣatam ||
Vidura said: “A forest, even when pierced by arrows and cut down with an axe, can sprout again. But the dreadful wound inflicted by harsh, ill-spoken words does not heal.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Physical damage may be repaired over time, but cruelty in speech leaves lasting harm; therefore one should practice restraint and dharmic, truthful, non-wounding speech—especially in tense political and familial disputes.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel amid escalating hostility between the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas. This verse warns that verbal aggression can cause irreparable injury, urging careful speech as conflict moves toward war.