Shloka 20
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
स एव च यदा राजन् वल्निर्जातबल: पुनः । समीरणगत।: क्षिप्रं दहेत् कृत्स्नां महीमपि,राजन्! वही आग जब हवाका सहारा पाकर प्रबल हो जाती है, तब सम्पूर्ण पृथ्वीको भी तत्काल भस्म कर सकती है
sa eva ca yadā rājan vahnir jātabalaḥ punaḥ | samīraṇagataḥ kṣipraṃ dahet kṛtsnāṃ mahīm api rājan ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，正是那同一团火，一旦恢复其势，又被风携带并鼓荡，便能迅疾焚烧，甚至烧尽整个大地。亦复如是，原本在无所凭依时微弱的力量，一旦得到强大助缘，便会变得摧毁无比；故为君者当抑制那些会放大祸害的条件。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a limited danger can become catastrophic when it gains support and favorable conditions—like fire strengthened by wind. A king should therefore prevent the alliances, incentives, and circumstances that magnify harmful forces, and should act early before they become unmanageable.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on governance and restraint. Here he uses a vivid natural image—fire becoming fierce when driven by wind—to warn about how quickly destructive power can spread once it is reinforced.