12.114
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O bull among the Bharatas, how could a weak king, having attained the kingdom, remain without resources when the enemy is excessively powerful?
Bhīṣma said.
Here too, O Bhārata, an ancient story is told, namely the conversation between the rivers and the ocean.
The ocean, eternal and the lord of rivers, who is the abode of the enemy of the gods (Viṣṇu), asked all the rivers about a doubt that had arisen within himself.
I see the shade-giving trees with roots and branches struck down by you here with full force; among the other trees there, there are no vetasa (willow trees).
The cane, which is without substance and grows on the riverbank, is yours; having been disregarded, nothing at all can be done to you by him.
Therefore, I wish to hear the opinion of all of you; just as, when these banks are broken, control is not regained.
Then Gaṅgā, the river, gave a meaningful and reasoned reply to the ocean, the lord of rivers.
These trees, though they remain rooted in one place, eventually abandon their spot due to their contrary nature, being devoid of consciousness.
Seeing the bamboo's speed approaching, the other does not bow; but when the speed is surpassed, he, having reached the place, stands firm.
The fig tree, though wise in time and occasion and always controllable, does not approach the reed, which is pliant and unsteady.
Those who yield to the force of wind and water—herbs, trees, and shrubs—bend and then rise again; they do not meet with destruction.
He who does not withstand the initial force of a powerful and growing enemy in matters of destruction and killing, quickly perishes.
A wise person who understands the essence and non-essence, strength, and energy of both himself and his enemy, and acts accordingly, never meets with defeat.
Thus, when a wise person perceives the enemy to be very powerful, he should adopt a flexible approach; this is the mark of wisdom.
