Shloka 14
उद्योगपर्व — धृतराष्ट्रस्य दुर्योधनप्रति शक्तिस्मारक-उपदेशः
Udyoga Parva 63: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel Reminding Duryodhana of Opponent Strength
धूमायन्ते व्यपेतानि ज्वलन्ति सहितानि च । धृतराष्ट्रोल्मुकानीव ज्ञातयो भरतर्षभ
dhūmāyante vyapetāni jvalanti sahitāni ca | dhṛtarāṣṭrolmukānīva jñātayo bharatarṣabha ||
Vidura dit : «Quand on sépare des bûches en feu, elles ne flambent plus : elles ne font que fumer ; réunies, elles s’embrasent. Ainsi les parents—tels des tisons de Dhṛtarāṣṭra—s’affaiblissent quand la discorde les divise, mais, unis, ils deviennent forts et rayonnants. Aussi, ô taureau parmi les Bhārata, ne laisse pas la maison se briser en factions : l’unité est la force qui préserve la lignée et retient la ruine.»
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Strength arises from unity: like fire that blazes when logs are together but only smokes when separated, a family or polity becomes powerful when cohesive and becomes ineffective when divided by internal quarrels.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura counsels the Kuru king Dhṛtarāṣṭra during the tense pre-war negotiations. He warns that factionalism among relatives will weaken the Kuru house, urging cohesion and wise restraint to avert catastrophe.