Shloka 17

Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)

Devanagari script

छिन्नमूले हाधिष्ठाने सर्वे तज्जीविनो हता: । कथं नु शाखास्तिष्ठेरंश्छिन्नमूले वनस्पतौ,“यदि मूल आधार नष्ट हो जाय तो उसके आश्रयसे जीवन धारण करनेवाले सभी शत्रु स्वतः नष्ट हो जाते हैं। यदि वृक्षकी जड़ काट दी जाय तो उसकी शाखाएँ कैसे रह सकती हैं?

Transliteration

chinnamūle hādhisṭhāne sarve tajjīvino hatāḥ | kathaṃ nu śākhās tiṣṭheran chinnamūle vanaspatau ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను— మూలమూ ఆధారమూ కోసివేయబడితే, దానిపై ఆధారపడి జీవించే వారందరూ నశిస్తారు. వేరే కోసిన వృక్షంలో కొమ్మలు ఎలా నిలుస్తాయి?

Word by Word

छिन्नमूलेwhen the root is cut off

हाalas

अधिष्ठानेin the base/support

सर्वेall

तत्that

जीविनःliving (dependent for life)

हताःkilled/destroyed

कथम्how

नुindeed/then (emphatic particle)

शाखाःbranches

तिष्ठेरन्could stand/remain

छिन्नमूलेwhen the root is cut off

वनस्पतौin a tree

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

vanaspati (tree)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.