Shloka 7
Kuntī–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda on Atithi-dharma and Crisis Strategy (Ādi Parva 149)
कक्षघ्न: शिशिरघ्नक्षु महाकक्षे बिलौकस: । न हन्तीत्येवमात्मानं यो रक्षति स जीवति,“(तुमसे विदुरजीने कहा था--) 'घास-फ़ूस तथा सूखे वृक्षोंके जंगलको जलानेवाली और सर्दीको नष्ट कर देनेवाली आग विशाल वनमें फैल जानेपर भी बिलमें रहनेवाले चूहे आदि जन्तुओंको नहीं जला सकती। यों समझकर जो अपनी रक्षाका उपाय करता है, वही जीवित रहता है”
kakṣaghnaḥ śiśiraghnaś ca mahākakṣe bilaukasaḥ | na hantīty evam ātmānaṃ yo rakṣati sa jīvati ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “O fogo pode queimar a relva e a madeira seca e até dissipar o inverno; contudo, quando se espalha por uma vasta floresta, ainda assim não consegue queimar as criaturas que vivem escondidas em tocas. Sabendo disso—‘não me matará’—aquele que toma medidas para se proteger é quem sobrevive.” O dito ressalta a prudente autoproteção: o perigo pode ser amplo, mas a previdência e o abrigo buscado a tempo, por estratégia, preservam a vida.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when danger is powerful and widespread (like a forest fire), one who anticipates it and takes practical protective measures—seeking shelter, acting with foresight—can survive. The verse promotes nīti: intelligent self-guarding rather than fatalism.
Vaiśampāyana cites a proverbial illustration: fire devastates the forest but cannot reach creatures hidden in burrows. In context, it functions as counsel (associated in the received tradition with Vidura’s advice) that timely precautions and strategic refuge preserve life amid looming calamity.