Shloka 37
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
योडरिणा सह संधाय सुखं स्वपिति विश्वसन् | स वृक्षाग्रे प्रसुप्तो वा पतितः प्रतिबुद्धयते,'जो शत्रुके साथ संधि करके विश्वासपूर्वक सुखसे सोता है, वह उसी मनुष्यके समान है, जो वृक्षकी शाखापर गाढ़ी नींदमें सो गया हो। ऐसा पुरुष नीचे गिरने (शत्रुद्वारा संकटमें पड़ने) पर ही सजग या सचेत होता है
yo 'riṇā saha sandhāya sukhaṁ svapiti viśvasan | sa vṛkṣāgre prasupto vā patitaḥ pratibudhyate ||
योऽरिणा सह सन्धाय सुखं स्वपिति विश्वसन् । स वृक्षाग्रे प्रसुप्तो वा पतितः प्रतिबुद्ध्यते ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not become complacent after making peace with an enemy; trust without vigilance is dangerous. Like sleeping on a tree-branch, one may feel secure until the sudden fall—awareness often comes only after damage.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and policy, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira through a vivid simile: a person who relaxes and sleeps after a pact with an enemy is compared to someone asleep atop a tree who wakes only upon falling—i.e., only when crisis strikes.