Shloka 26
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
न चेत् करिष्यसि वच: सुहृदामरिकर्शन । तप्स्यसे वाहिनीं दृष्टवा पार्थबाणप्रपीडिताम्,'शत्रुसूदन! यदि तुम सुहृदोंकी बातें नहीं मानोगे तो अपनी सेनाको अर्जुनके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित होती देखकर पछताओगे
na cet kariṣyasi vacaḥ suhṛdām arikarśana | tapsyase vāhinīṁ dṛṣṭvā pārthabāṇaprapīḍitām ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô dompteur d’ennemis, si tu n’agis pas selon le conseil de ceux qui te veulent du bien, tu brûleras plus tard de remords en voyant ton armée cruellement tourmentée par les flèches de Pārtha (Arjuna).»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heed the counsel of well-wishers; rejecting prudent advice leads to foreseeable harm and later remorse—especially in matters of war where decisions carry collective consequences.
The narrator warns a warrior addressed as “arikarśana” that if he refuses the advice of his friends, he will soon regret it upon witnessing his forces suffering under Arjuna’s devastating archery.