Critical Edition
भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्त्वा तु राजेन्द्र शल्मलिं ब्रह्मवित्तमः नारदः पवने सर्वं शल्मलेर्वाक्यमब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said-Having said these words to the Shalmali, that foremost of all persons conversant with Brahma, viz., Narada, communicated to the Wind-god all that the Shalmali had said about him.
हिमवत्पृष्ठजः कश्चिच्छल्मलिः परिवारवान् बृहन्मूलो बृहच्छाखः स त्वां वायोऽवमन्यते
M. N. Dutt: Narada said There is a a certain Shalmali on the Himalaya, adorned with branches and leaves. His roots have gone deep into the Earth and its branches have spread wide around. That tree, O Wind-god, disrespects you.
बहून्याक्षेपयुक्तानि त्वामाह वचनानि सः न युक्तानि मया वायो तानि वक्तुं त्वयि प्रभो
M. N. Dutt: He spoke many insulting words against yourself. It is not meet, O Wind, that I should repeat them in your hearing.
जानामि त्वामहं वायो सर्वप्राणभृतां वरम् वरिष्ठं च गरिष्ठं च क्रोधे वैवस्वतं यथा
M. N. Dutt: I know, O Wind, that you are greatest of all created things. I know too that you are a very superior and very powerful being, and that in anger you resemble the Destroyer himself.
एवं तु वचनं श्रुत्वा नारदस्य समीरणः शल्मलिं तमुपागम्य क्रुद्धो वचनमब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Hearing these words of Narada, the Windgod going to that Shalmali, said to him angrily as follows.
शल्मले नारदे यत्तत्त्वयोक्तं मद्विगर्हणम् अहं वायुः प्रभावं ते दर्शयाम्यात्मनो बलम्
M. N. Dutt: The Wind-god said O Shalmali, you have uttered derogatory words against me before Narada, know that I am the God of wind. I shall certainly show you my power and might.
नाहं त्वा नाभिजानामि विदितश्चासि मे द्रुम पितामहः प्रजासर्गे त्वयि विश्रान्तवान्प्रभुः
M. N. Dutt: I know you well. You are no stranger to me. While creating the world, the powerful Grandfather had for a time rested under you.
तस्य विश्रमणादेव प्रसादो यः कृतस्तव रक्ष्यसे तेन दुर्बुद्धे नात्मवीर्याद्द्रुमाधम
AI Translation: It is because of your resting that he has shown you favor. You are protected by him, O evil-minded one, not by your own strength, O worst of trees.
यन्मा त्वमवजानीषे यथान्यं प्राकृतं तथा दर्शयाम्येष आत्मानं यथा मामवभोत्स्यसे
AI Translation: Do not think of me as you would of an ordinary person. I will show you my true self, so that you may know me.
एवमुक्तस्ततः प्राह शल्मलिः प्रहसन्निव पवन त्वं वने क्रुद्धो दर्शयात्मानमात्मना
M. N. Dutt: Thus addressed, the Shalmali laughed in contempt and replied, saying,-O Wind-god, you are angry with me. Do not stop showing the extent of your power.
मयि वै त्यज्यतां क्रोधः किं मे क्रुद्धः करिष्यसि न ते बिभेमि पवन यद्यपि त्वं स्वयंप्रभुः
M. N. Dutt: Do you vomit all your anger upon me. By becoming angry, what will you do to me? Even if your power had been all your own, I would not still have been afraid of you. I am superior to you in power. I am not afraid of you.
Supplementary Passages:
12.151.11 After 11, K5 V1 B0-2.5 Da Dn1.n3 D2-4.8 ins.: *402 बलाधिकोऽहं त्वत्तश्च न भीः कार्या मया तव ये तु बुद्ध्या हि बलिनस्ते भवन्ति बलीयसः प्राणमात्रबला ये वै नैव ते बलिनो मताः
इत्येवमुक्तः पवनः श्व इत्येवाब्रवीद्वचः दर्शयिष्यामि ते तेजस्ततो रात्रिरुपागमत्
AI Translation: Thus addressed, the wind said, "So be it!" "I shall show you my power." Then night approached.
अथ निश्चित्य मनसा शल्मलिर्वातकारितम् पश्यमानस्तदात्मानमसमं मातरिश्वनः
AI Translation: Then, having decided in his mind, Shalmali, caused by the wind, Seeing himself unequal to the sky,
नारदे यन्मया प्रोक्तं पवनं प्रति तन्मृषा असमर्थो ह्यहं वायोर्बलेन बलवान्हि सः
AI Translation: What I have said to Nārada about the wind is false. For I am not equal to the wind in strength, for he is strong.
मारुतो बलवान्नित्यं यथैनं नारदोऽब्रवीत् अहं हि दुर्बलोऽन्येभ्यो वृक्षेभ्यो नात्र संशयः
AI Translation: The wind is always strong, as Narada has said. I am weak compared to the other trees, there is no doubt.
किं तु बुद्ध्या समो नास्ति मम कश्चिद्वनस्पतिः तदहं बुद्धिमास्थाय भयं मोक्ष्ये समीरणात्
AI Translation: But there is no tree equal to me in intelligence. Therefore, relying on my intelligence, I shall be free from fear of the wind.
यदि तां बुद्धिमास्थाय चरेयुः पर्णिनो वने अरिष्टाः स्युः सदा क्रुद्धात्पवनान्नात्र संशयः
AI Translation: If they were to live in the forest eating leaves, relying on that wisdom, They would be free from harm from the angry wind. There is no doubt about that.
तेऽत्र बाला न जानन्ति यथा नैनान्समीरणः समीरयेत संक्रुद्धो यथा जानाम्यहं तथा
AI Translation: They are children here and do not know how the wind may not blow them away, as I know it may, when it is angry.
ततो निश्चित्य मनसा शल्मलिः क्षुभितस्तदा शाखाः स्कन्धान्प्रशाखाश्च स्वयमेव व्यशातयत्
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said Having thus deterinined, the Shalmali, himself sorrowfully caused all his branches, man and minor, to be cut off.
स परित्यज्य शाखाश्च पत्राणि कुसुमानि च प्रभाते वायुमायान्तं प्रत्यैक्षत वनस्पतिः
M. N. Dutt: Casting off his branches, leaves and flowers, in the morning the tree looked firmly at the Wind as he came towards him.
ततः क्रुद्धः श्वसन्वायुः पातयन्वै महाद्रुमान् आजगामाथ तं देशं स्थितो यत्र स शल्मलिः
M. N. Dutt: Filled with anger and breathing hard, the Wind came, felling large trees, where the Shalmali stood.
तं हीनपर्णं पतिताग्रशाखं; विशीर्णपुष्पं प्रसमीक्ष्य वायुः उवाच वाक्यं स्मयमान एनं; मुदा युतं शल्मलिं रुग्णशाखम्
M. N. Dutt: Seeing him divested of top, branches, leaves and flowers, the Wind, filled with joy, smilingly said to that lord of the forest which had before such a huge appearance.
अहमप्येवमेव त्वां कुर्वाणः शल्मले रुषा आत्मना यत्कृतं कृत्स्नं शाखानामपकर्षणम्
M. N. Dutt: The Wind said-Filled with anger, O Shalmali, I would have done to you exactly what you have done to yourself by cutting off all your branches.
हीनपुष्पाग्रशाखस्त्वं शीर्णाङ्कुरपलाशवान् आत्मदुर्मन्त्रितेनेह मद्वीर्यवशगोऽभवः
M. N. Dutt: You are now shorn of your proud top and flowers, and you are now without your shoots and leaves. For your own bad counsels, you have been brought under my control.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो वायोः शल्मलिर्व्रीडितस्तदा अतप्यत वचः स्मृत्वा नारदो यत्तदाब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Hearing these words of the Wind, the Shalmali feit great shame. Remembering also the words of Narada, he began to repent greatly for his mistake.
एवं यो राजशार्दूल दुर्बलः सन्बलीयसा वैरमासज्जते बालस्तप्यते शल्मलिर्यथा
AI Translation: Thus, O best of kings, the weak one who is in conflict with the strong, the foolish one who is in conflict with the strong, suffers like a shalmali tree.
तस्माद्वैरं न कुर्वीत दुर्बलो बलवत्तरैः शोचेद्धि वैरं कुर्वाणो यथा वै शल्मलिस्तथा
AI Translation: Therefore, one should not make enmity with the stronger, for the weaker. For one who makes enmity, there is grief, as in the case of Shalmalī.
न हि वैरं महात्मानो विवृण्वन्त्यपकारिषु शनैः शनैर्महाराज दर्शयन्ति स्म ते बलम्
M. N. Dutt: Even when gifted with equal might, people do not suddenly create enmities with those who have injured them. On the other hand, they show their power gradually, O king.
वैरं न कुर्वीत नरो दुर्बुद्धिर्बुद्धिजीविना बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतो याति तूलेष्विव हुताशनः
M. N. Dutt: A foolish person should never excite the hostility of an intelligent person. In such cases the intelligence of the intelligent man works like fire penetrating a heap of dry grass.
न हि बुद्ध्या समं किंचिद्विद्यते पुरुषे नृप तथा बलेन राजेन्द्र न समोऽस्तीति चिन्तयेत्
M. N. Dutt: Intelligence is the most valuable thing that a person can have. Likewise, O king, a man can have nothing here more valuable than power.
तस्मात्क्षमेत बालाय जडाय बधिराय च बलाधिकाय राजेन्द्र तद्दृष्टं त्वयि शत्रुहन्
M. N. Dutt: One should, therefore, pass over the wrongs inflicted by a person possessed of superior strength, as one should overlook the acts of a child, an idiot, or one who is blind or deaf. The wisdom of this saying is seen in your case, O slayer of foes.
अक्षौहिण्यो दशैका च सप्त चैव महाद्युते बलेन न समा राजन्नर्जुनस्य महात्मनः
M. N. Dutt: The eleven Akshauhinis (of Duryodhana), and the seven (collected by yourself), were not, in power, equal to the single-handed Arjuna of great soul.
हतास्ताश्चैव भग्नाश्च पाण्डवेन यशस्विना चरता बलमास्थाय पाकशासनिना मृधे
M. N. Dutt: All the troops (of Duryodhana), therefore, were dispersed and killed by that illustrious Pandava, that son of Paka's chastiser, as he moved about in the field of battle, depending on his own strength.
उक्तास्ते राजधर्माश्च आपद्धर्माश्च भारत विस्तरेण महाराज किं भूयः प्रब्रवीमि ते
M. N. Dutt: I have, O Bharata, described to you the duties of kings and ethics of con-in detail. What else, O king, do you wish to hear.