Chapter 154

“Yudhishthira said, “If a person, weak, worthless, and light-hearted, Ogrand sire, doth from folly provoke, by means of unbecoming and boastfulspeeches, a powerful foe always residing in his vicinity, competent to dogood (when pleased) and chastise (when displeased), and always ready foraction, how should the former, relying on his own strength, act when thelatter advances against him in anger and from desire of exterminatinghim?’

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection is cited, O chief of the Bharatas, theold story of the discourse between Salmali and Pavana. There was a lordly(Salmali) tree on one of the heights of Himavat. Having grown for manycenturies, he had spread out his branches wide around. His trunk also washuge and his twigs and leaves were innumerable. Under his shade toil-wornelephants in rut, bathed in sweat, used to rest, and many animals ofother species also. The girth of his trunk was four hundred cubits, anddense was the shade of his branches and leaves. Loaded with flowers andfruits, it was the abode of innumerable parrots, male and female. Intravelling along their routes, caravans of merchants and traders, andascetics, residing in the woods, used to rest under the shade of thatdelightful monarch of the forest. One day, the sage Narada, O bull ofBharata’s race, seeing the wide-extending and innumerable branches ofthat tree and the circumference of his trunk, approached and addressedhim, saying, ‘O thou art delightful! O thou art charming! O foremost oftrees, O Salmali, I am always delighted at thy sight! O charming tree,delightful birds of diverse kinds, and elephants and other animals,cheerfully live; on thy branches and under their shade. Thy branches, Owide-branched monarch of the forest, and thy trunk are gigantic. I neversee any of them broken by the god of the wind. Is it, O child, the casethat Pavana is pleased with thee and is thy friend so that he protectsthee always in these woods? The illustrious Pavana possessed of greatspeed and force moveth from their sites the tallest and strongest trees,and even mountain summits. That sacred bearer of perfumes, blowing (whenhe wills) drieth up rivers and takes and seas, including the very netherregion. Without doubt, Pavana protects thee through friendship. It is forthis reason that, though possessed of innumerable branches, thou artstill graced with leaves and flowers. O monarch of the forest, this thyverdure is delightful since these winged creatures, O child, filled withjoy, sport on thy twigs and branches. During the season when thou puttestforth thy blossoms, the sweet notes of all these denizens of thy branchesare heard separately when they indulge in their melodious songs. Then,again, O Salmali, these elephants that are the ornaments of theirspecies, bathed in sweat and indulging in cries (of delight), approachthee and find happiness here. Similarly, diverse other species of animalsinhabiting the woods, contribute to adorn thee. Indeed, O tree, thoulookest beautiful even like the mountains of Meru peopled by creatures ofevery kind. Resorted to also by Brahmanas crowned with ascetic success,by others engaged in penances, and by Yatis devoted tocontemplation,[454] this thy region, I think, resembles heaven itself.'”