Shloka 20
Saṃvaraṇa–Tapatī Vivāhaḥ (The Marriage of Saṃvaraṇa and Tapatī) — Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva 163
तद् वृक्षयुद्धम भवन्महीरुहविनाशनम् । घोररूपं महाराज नरराक्षसराजयो:,महाराज! नरराज तथा राक्षसराजका वह भयंकर वृक्षयुद्ध उस वनके समस्त वृक्षोंके विनाशका कारण बन गया
tad vṛkṣayuddham abhavan mahīruhavināśanam | ghorarūpaṃ mahārāja nara-rākṣasa-rājayoḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Pertempuran dengan pohon-pohon itu menjadi punca kebinasaan pepohon rimba yang besar-besar. Wahai Raja, itulah pertembungan yang menggerunkan antara raja manusia dan raja rākṣasa—begitu dahsyat hingga memusnahkan belantara itu sendiri.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked fury in battle does not remain confined to the opponents; it spreads outward, causing needless destruction—here symbolized by the devastation of the forest itself. The verse implicitly cautions rulers and warriors that power without restraint harms the wider world.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying fight between a human king and a rākṣasa king in which they use trees as weapons. The struggle is so violent that it results in the ruin of the forest’s great trees.