Shloka 61
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
संसारमें अग्नि एक महान् तेज है, वह काठमें छिपी रहती है; किंतु जबतक दूसरे लोग उसे प्रज्वलित न कर दें, तबतक वह उस काठको नहीं जलाती ।।
sa eva khalu dārubhyo yadā nirmathya dīpyate | tad dāru ca vana cānyan nirdahaty āśu tejasā ||
Api adalah daya besar di dunia ini, tersembunyi di dalam kayu; selama tidak ada yang menyalakannya, ia tidak membakar kayu itu sendiri. Tetapi bila api yang sama dibangkitkan dengan menggesek kayu, ia menyala dan dengan cahayanya segera melalap kayu itu, hutan, dan apa pun yang berada di dekatnya.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A destructive force can remain latent and harmless when left unstirred, but once intentionally provoked it rapidly grows beyond control, consuming even its own source and spreading wider harm. The implied counsel is to avoid kindling hostility and to practice restraint before conflict becomes irreversible.
Vidura is advising in the tense pre-war context of the Udyoga Parva. Using the metaphor of fire hidden in wood and ignited by friction, he warns that if others deliberately inflame a situation, it can quickly turn into a conflagration that destroys many—like a forest fire.