Shloka 17
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
निष्पत्रमफलं शुष्कमशरण्यं पतत्रिणाम् | किमर्थ सेवसे वृक्ष यदा महदिदं वनम्,'शुक! इस वक्षके पत्ते झड़ गये, फल भी नहीं रहे। यह सूख जानेके कारण पक्षियोंके बसेरे लेने योग्य नहीं रह गया है। जब यह विशाल वन पड़ा हुआ है तब तुम इस दूँठ वृक्षका सेवन किसलिये करते हो?
niṣpatram aphalaṃ śuṣkam aśaraṇyaṃ patatriṇām | kimarthaṃ sevase vṛkṣa yadā mahad idaṃ vanam ||
“พฤกษานี้ไร้ใบ ไร้ผล แห้งเหี่ยว และมิใช่ที่พึ่งของนกทั้งหลาย เมื่อมีป่าใหญ่อยู่โดยรอบ เหตุใดเจ้าจึงยังอาศัยพฤกษานี้เล่า?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should seek worthy support and wholesome company: clinging to what is barren, dried, and incapable of giving shelter or benefit is irrational when better, life-giving alternatives are available. The verse pushes discernment (viveka) in choosing one’s refuge—materially and morally.
Bhishma addresses Śuka and questions his choice of staying with or relying on a useless, withered tree that cannot provide leaves, fruit, or shelter for birds, despite the presence of a vast forest. The image functions as a moral prompt about why one would attach oneself to an unhelpful support.