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 berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bharata! Kayu yang sedang terbakar, apabila dipisahkan, tidak menyala—hanya berasap; tetapi apabila dihimpunkan, ia marak menyala. Demikian juga kaum kerabat—bagaikan bara Dhṛtarāṣṭra—menjadi lemah apabila terpecah oleh perselisihan, namun apabila bersatu mereka menjadi kuat dan bercahaya. Maka, wahai banteng Bharata, jangan biarkan keluarga dipecahkan oleh puak; perpaduan itulah kekuatan yang memelihara rumah dan menahan kebinasaan.”
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.