Shloka 61
हंस–साध्यसंवादः, वाक्-निग्रहः, महाकुल-लक्षणम्, शान्ति-उपायः
Hamsa–Sādhya Dialogue; Restraint of Speech; Marks of Noble Lineage; Means to Peace
संसारमें अग्नि एक महान् तेज है, वह काठमें छिपी रहती है; किंतु जबतक दूसरे लोग उसे प्रज्वलित न कर दें, तबतक वह उस काठको नहीं जलाती ।।
sa eva khalu dārubhyo yadā nirmathya dīpyate | tad dāru ca vana cānyan nirdahaty āśu tejasā ||
毗度罗说道：“火在世间乃大威力，潜藏于木；只要无人点燃，它便不焚那木。然同一之火，若由钻木摩擦而引出、使之炽盛，则凭其光焰，迅速吞噬其木，焚尽森林，并烧毁近旁诸物。其伦理警诫昭然：潜伏之力——尤以嗔怒、敌意与纷争为甚——未被挑动时或可无害；一旦被人蓄意煽起，便会很快毁灭其自身之源，并将祸患扩散到远超最初缘由之处。”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A destructive force can remain latent and harmless when left unstirred, but once intentionally provoked it rapidly grows beyond control, consuming even its own source and spreading wider harm. The implied counsel is to avoid kindling hostility and to practice restraint before conflict becomes irreversible.
Vidura is advising in the tense pre-war context of the Udyoga Parva. Using the metaphor of fire hidden in wood and ignited by friction, he warns that if others deliberately inflame a situation, it can quickly turn into a conflagration that destroys many—like a forest fire.