Chapter 157

“Bhishma said, ‘Having settled this in his mind, the Salmali. in sorrow,himself caused all his branches, principal and subsidiary, to be cut off.Casting off his branches and leaves and flowers, at morn the tree lookedsteadily at the Wind, as he came towards him. Filled with rage andbreathing hard, the Wind advanced, felling large trees, towards that spotwhere the Salmali stood. Beholding him divested of top and branches andleaves and flowers, the Wind, filled with joy, smilingly addressed thatlord of the forest which had before such a gigantic appearance, thesewords.’

“The Wind said, ‘Filled with rage, O Salmali, I would have done to theeprecisely what thou hast done to thyself by lopping off all thy branches.Thou art now divested of thy proud top and flowers, and thou art nowwithout thy shoots and leaves. In consequence of thy own evil counsels,thou hast been brought under my power.’

“Bhishma continued, ‘Hearing these words of the Wind, the Salmali feltgreat shame. Remembering also the words that Narada had said, he began torepent greatly for his folly. Even in this way, O tiger among kings, aweak and foolish person, by provoking the enmity of a powerful one, is atlast obliged to repent like the Salmali in fable. Even when possessed ofequal might, people do not suddenly wage hostilities with those that haveinjured them. On the other hand, they display their might gradually, Oking! A person of foolish understanding should never provoke thehostility of one that is possessed of intelligence. In such cases theintelligence of the intelligent man penetrates (the subject upon which itis employed) like fire penetrating a heap of dry grass. Intelligence isthe most precious possession that a person call have. Similarly, O king,a man can have nothing here more valuable than might. One should,therefore, overlook the wrongs inflicted by a person possessed ofsuperior strength, even as one should overlook (from compassion) the actsof a child, and idiot, or one that is blind or deaf. The wisdom of thissaying is witnessed in thy case, O slayer of foes. The eleven Akshauhinis(of Duryodhana), O thou of great splendour, and the seven (collected bythyself), were not, in might equal to the single-handed Arjuna of highsoul. All the troops (of Duryodhana), therefore, were routed and slain bythat illustrious Pandava, that son of Paka’s chastiser, as he coursed onthe field of battle, relying on his own strength. I have. O Bharata,discoursed to thee of the duties of kings and the morality of duties indetail. What else. O king, dost thou wish to hear!'”