Mahabharata 1.140.17 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 17
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
छिन्नमूले हाधिष्ठाने सर्वे तज्जीविनो हता: । कथं नु शाखास्तिष्ठेरंश्छिन्नमूले वनस्पतौ
chinnamūle hādhisṭhāne sarve tajjīvino hatāḥ | kathaṃ nu śākhās tiṣṭheran chinnamūle vanaspatau ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Bila akar dan landasan telah dipotong, semua yang hidup bergantung padanya pun binasa. Bagaimana mungkin cabang-cabang tetap tegak pada pohon yang akarnya telah tertebas?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of causality and strategy: when the fundamental support (the ‘root’) is removed, dependent structures and allies collapse naturally; therefore one should address the primary cause rather than only its outward manifestations.
Vaiśaṃpāyana uses a vivid tree-metaphor to explain that destroying the central foundation leads to the downfall of all who rely on it, framing the point as an ethical-strategic observation within the unfolding account.
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