Shloka 62
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
महानप्येकजो वृक्षो बलवान् सुप्रतिष्ठित: । प्रसह एव वातेन सस्कन्धो मर्दितुं क्षणात्
mahān apy ekajo vṛkṣo balavān supratiṣṭhitaḥ | prasaha eva vātena sa-skandho mardituṃ kṣaṇāt ||
Vidura sprach: Selbst ein großer Baum, wenn er allein steht—stark und fest verwurzelt—kann in einem Augenblick vom Sturm gewaltsam zerschmettert und samt seinen Ästen zu Boden geworfen werden. So wird auch der Vereinzelte, wie mächtig er sei, verwundbar; Stärke wird durch Rückhalt, Bündnis und den Umgang mit Weisen gesichert.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and stability are not enough if one is isolated; even the strong can be quickly ruined. Ethical and practical wisdom advises seeking support—good allies, counsel, and community—so that adversity cannot easily uproot one.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral-political counsel. Here he uses a vivid metaphor—an immense solitary tree felled by a storm—to warn that standing alone invites sudden destruction, implying the need for prudent association and collective strength.