Shloka 62
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
महानप्येकजो वृक्षो बलवान् सुप्रतिष्ठित: । प्रसह एव वातेन सस्कन्धो मर्दितुं क्षणात्
mahān apy ekajo vṛkṣo balavān supratiṣṭhitaḥ | prasaha eva vātena sa-skandho mardituṃ kṣaṇāt ||
ヴィドゥラは言った。「たとえ大樹であっても、ただ一本で立つなら—強く根を深く張っていても—嵐の風に一瞬で枝もろとも打ち砕かれ、倒され得る。ゆえに孤立する者は、いかに力あろうとも脆い。力は支えと同盟、そして賢者との交わりによって確かなものとなる。」
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and stability are not enough if one is isolated; even the strong can be quickly ruined. Ethical and practical wisdom advises seeking support—good allies, counsel, and community—so that adversity cannot easily uproot one.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral-political counsel. Here he uses a vivid metaphor—an immense solitary tree felled by a storm—to warn that standing alone invites sudden destruction, implying the need for prudent association and collective strength.