Shloka 62
Ārjava, Satya, and the Virocana–Sudhanvan Exemplum
Udyoga-parva 35
महानप्येकजो वृक्षो बलवान् सुप्रतिष्ठित: । प्रसह एव वातेन सस्कन्धो मर्दितुं क्षणात्,यदि वृक्ष अकेला है तो वह बलवान, दृढ़मूल तथा बहुत बड़ा होनेपर भी एक ही क्षणमें आँधीके द्वारा बलपूर्वक शाखाओंसहित धराशायी किया जा सकता है
mahān apy ekajo vṛkṣo balavān supratiṣṭhitaḥ | prasaha eva vātena sa-skandho mardituṃ kṣaṇāt ||
Wika ni Vidura: Kahit ang isang napakalaking punò, kung nag-iisa—malakas man at matibay ang ugat—maaari pa ring wasakin at pabagsakin ng unos sa isang iglap, kasama ang mga sanga. Kaya ang taong nakahiwalay, gaano man kalakas, ay nagiging marupok; ang lakas ay napangangalagaan sa pamamagitan ng suporta, alyansa, at matalinong pakikisama.
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.