Shloka 2
The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification
नारद उवाच हिमवत्पृष्ठज: कश्चिच्छाल्मलि: परिवारवान् । बृहन्मूलो बृहच्छाय: स त्वां वायोडवमन्यते
nārada uvāca himavatpṛṣṭhajaḥ kaścit chālmaliḥ parivāravān | bṛhanmūlo bṛhacchāyaḥ sa tvāṁ vāyodavamanyate ||
नारदजी बोले—वायुदेव! हिमालय के पृष्ठभाग पर एक सेमल का वृक्ष है, जो बड़े परिवार से घिरा है। उसकी जड़ें बहुत दूर तक फैली हैं और उसकी छाया विशाल व घनी है। वह तुम्हें तुच्छ समझकर तुम्हारा अपमान करता है।
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical lesson about arrogance born of size, status, or support: even one who seems powerful (with vast roots, shade, and a ‘retinue’) can fall into contempt for others, and such disrespect invites correction and humility.
Narada addresses Vāyu and points out a particular śālmali tree on the Himalayan slope—grand, well-supported, and expansive—which is said to be insulting the Wind-god. This functions as the provocation that leads into the ensuing episode and its moral resolution.