Shloka 40
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
आत्मानं तक्षति होष वनं परशुना यथा । यः सम्यग्वर्तमानेषु मिथ्या राजनू् प्रवर्तते
ātmānaṃ takṣati hoṣa vanaṃ paraśunā yathā | yaḥ samyagvartamāneṣu mithyā rājan pravartate ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—हे राजन्! जसा कुऱ्हाडीने वन तोडून टाकतात, तसा जो मनुष्य नीतीने वागणाऱ्यांमध्ये असूनही मिथ्या मार्गाने चालतो, तो स्वतःचेच कल्याण छेदून टाकतो.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrong conduct in the midst of right-minded people ultimately harms the doer himself; ethical deviation is self-destructive, like felling a forest with an axe.
Vaiśampāyana continues his instruction to the king (Janamejaya), using a vivid simile to warn that choosing a false path—especially when dharma is evident around one—amounts to cutting down one’s own welfare and integrity.