Shloka 64
वन राजंस्तव पुत्रो55म्बिकेय सिंहान् वने पाण्डवांस्तात विद्धि । सिंहैर्विहीनं हि वनं विनश्येत् सिंहा विनश्येयु्रते वनेन,राजन! अम्बिकानन्दन! आपके पुत्र एक वन हैं और पाण्डवोंको उसके भीतर रहनेवाले सिंह समझिये। तात! सिंहसे सूना हो जानेपर वन नष्ट हो जाता है और वनके बिना सिंह भी नष्ट हो जाते हैं
vana rājan tava putro ’mbikeya siṁhān vane pāṇḍavāṁs tāta viddhi | siṁhair vihīnaṁ hi vanaṁ vinaśyet siṁhā vinaśyeyur ṛte vanena, rājan |
Vidura said: “O King, O son of Ambikā, understand this: your son is like a forest, and the Pāṇḍavas are like the lions dwelling within that forest. A forest, bereft of lions, is ruined; and lions too perish without the forest. Therefore, the welfare of both depends on their mutual protection and coexistence.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches political and ethical interdependence: a kingdom (the ‘forest’) and its great warriors/protectors (the ‘lions’) sustain each other. Excluding or destroying the Pāṇḍavas harms not only them but also the Kuru polity and Duryodhana’s own stability; dharma lies in preserving mutual support rather than pursuing ruinous hostility.
In Udyoga Parva, as war looms, Vidura counsels King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Using a metaphor, he urges the king to see that Duryodhana’s power and the Pāṇḍavas’ presence are mutually sustaining; driving the Pāṇḍavas away or seeking their destruction will ultimately devastate the Kuru realm and its leadership.