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
yo 'riṇā saha sandhāya sukhaṁ svapiti viśvasan | sa vṛkṣāgre prasupto vā patitaḥ pratibudhyate ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Ang sinumang nakipagkasundo sa kaaway at pagkatapos ay natutulog nang panatag, nagtitiwala sa kanya, ay tulad ng taong mahimbing na natutulog sa tuktok ng puno—nagigising lamang kapag nahuhulog. Ang aral ay babala laban sa bulag na pag-asa sa kaaway: ang maling tiwala’y nag-aanyaya ng kapahamakan, at ang pagkamalay ay dumarating madalas kapag may pinsala na.
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.