Shloka 18
The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification
तदहं बुद्धिमास्थाय भयं मोक्ष्ये समीरणात् | यदि तां बुद्धिमास्थाय तिष्ठेयु: पर्णिनो वने
tadahaṁ buddhim āsthāya bhayaṁ mokṣye samīraṇāt | yadi tāṁ buddhim āsthāya tiṣṭheyuḥ parṇino vane ||
Bhīṣma said: “Therefore, taking refuge in discernment, I shall free myself from fear of the wind. If, by holding fast to that same understanding, the leaf-bearing trees can stand firm in the forest, then so can I.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear is overcome by buddhi—steady discernment. By anchoring the mind in clear understanding, one becomes unmoved by external disturbances, just as trees endure the wind.
Bhīṣma uses a natural image—leafy trees standing in a forest despite the wind—to illustrate how he (and by extension a disciplined person) can remain steady and free from fear by relying on firm understanding.