Shloka 37
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
योडरिणा सह संधाय सुखं स्वपिति विश्वसन् | स वृक्षाग्रे प्रसुप्तो वा पतितः प्रतिबुद्धयते
yo 'riṇā saha sandhāya sukhaṁ svapiti viśvasan | sa vṛkṣāgre prasupto vā patitaḥ pratibudhyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : Celui qui conclut un pacte avec un ennemi puis dort en paix, se fiant à lui, ressemble à un homme plongé dans un profond sommeil au sommet d’un arbre : il ne s’éveille qu’en tombant. L’enseignement met en garde contre la confiance naïve envers une partie hostile : une confiance mal placée appelle le désastre, et la vigilance ne vient souvent qu’après le mal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not become complacent after making peace with an enemy; trust without vigilance is dangerous. Like sleeping on a tree-branch, one may feel secure until the sudden fall—awareness often comes only after damage.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and policy, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira through a vivid simile: a person who relaxes and sleeps after a pact with an enemy is compared to someone asleep atop a tree who wakes only upon falling—i.e., only when crisis strikes.