Shloka 17
The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification
अहं तु दुर्बलो<न्ये भ्यो वृक्षेभ्यो नात्र संशय: । कि तु बुद्धा समो नास्ति मया कश्चिद् वनस्पति:
ahaṃ tu durbalo 'nye bhyo vṛkṣebhyo nātra saṃśayaḥ | kintu buddhā samo nāsti mayā kaścid vanaspatiḥ |
Бхишма сказал: «Что до меня, я слабее других деревьев — в этом нет сомнения. Но в разумении ни одно дерево не равно мне».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts physical strength with बुद्धि (intelligence), implying that moral and practical excellence is grounded more in discernment than in brute power; humility about one’s limitations can coexist with confidence in one’s true virtue.
Bhīṣma, speaking in the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, presents a self-characterization (in a tree-based comparison) that admits weakness in strength while asserting superiority in intelligence, reinforcing the parva’s emphasis on reflective ethics and right judgment.