Shloka 20
Bhīmasena’s Admonition to Yudhiṣṭhira on Rājya and the Ordering of Dharma–Artha–Kāma
Book 3, Chapter 34
यदा हि पूर्व निकृतो निकृन्तेद् वैरं सपुष्पं सफल॑ विदित्वा । महागुणं हरति हि पौरुषेण तदा वीरो जीवति जीवलोके,जब पहले शत्रुके द्वारा धोखा खाया हुआ वीर पुरुष उसे फ़ूलता-फलता जानकर अपने पुरुषार्थके द्वारा उसका मूलोच्छेद कर डालता है, तभी उस शत्रुके महान् गुणोंका अपहरण कर लेता है और इस जगत्में सुखपूर्वक जीवित रहता है
yadā hi pūrvaṁ nikṛto nikṛnted vairaṁ sapuṣpaṁ saphalaṁ viditvā | mahāguṇaṁ harati hi pauruṣeṇa tadā vīro jīvati jīvaloke ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: When a hero, once deceived, recognizes that the enemy’s enmity is already blossoming and bearing fruit, and then—by his own manly effort—cuts that hostility down at its root, he thereby seizes the enemy’s very advantage and excellence; thus does the valiant man live well in this world.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not ignore hostility once it has begun to manifest and produce consequences; recognize it clearly and remove it decisively at the root through disciplined effort. By doing so, one neutralizes the opponent’s advantage and secures one’s own well-being in the world.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the situation of a person who has already been deceived by an enemy. He frames enmity as something that grows (flowers and fruits) and advises timely, resolute action—cutting it off at its source—so that the enemy’s strength does not continue to yield harmful results.