Shloka 16
The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification
मारुतो बलवान नित्यं यथा वै नारदो<ब्रवीत्,'जैसा कि नारदजीने कहा था, वायुदेव नित्य बलवान हैं। मैं तो दूसरे वृक्षोंसे भी दुर्बल हूँ, इसमें संशय नहीं है; परंतु बुद्धिमें कोई भी वृक्ष मेरे समान नहीं है
māruto balavān nityaṃ yathā vai nārado 'bravīt | ahaṃ tu dvitīyebhyo vṛkṣebhyo 'pi durbalaḥ, atra saṃśayo na vidyate | buddhau tu na kaścid vṛkṣo mama samaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “As Narada once declared, the Wind-god is ever mighty. As for me, I am weaker even than other trees—there is no doubt of that. Yet in discernment and intelligence, no tree is equal to me.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts physical power with intellectual discernment: one may be weak in strength yet excel in buddhi. It also models humility—acknowledging limitations without denying genuine excellence.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, a speaking tree (or tree-voice within the didactic tale) acknowledges Vayu’s superior might as affirmed by Narada, while asserting its own unmatched intelligence among trees—setting up a moral comparison between force and wisdom.