Shloka 58
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
त्वमश्रितो द्रुमस्याग्रं मूलं त्वहमुपाश्रित: । चिरोषितावुभावावां वृक्षेडस्मिन् विदितं च ते
tvam āśrito drumasyāgraṁ mūlaṁ tv aham upāśritaḥ | ciroṣitāv ubhāv āvāṁ vṛkṣe ’smin viditaṁ ca te ||
ビーシュマは言った。「そなたはこの木の梢に身を寄せ、私はその根元に身を寄せている。かくして我ら二人は久しく、この同じ木に依って暮らしてきた――そのことはそなたも承知のはずだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights shared dependence: two beings occupy different positions (top and root) yet rely on the same support. Ethically, it points toward recognizing mutual reliance and responding with restraint and gratitude rather than harm toward the common sustainer.
Bhīṣma speaks in a didactic context, presenting a simple scene of two dwellers on the same tree—one above, one at the root—emphasizing that their long-standing arrangement and dependence on the tree is already known to the listener, setting up a moral reflection.