(A story from Mahabharata, Shanti parva, chapters 150-152)
On the foot of a lofty Himalayan mountain lived an old lush silk-cotton tree. The tree had a broad green canopy decorated with flowers and fruits. And, the canopy sheltered many species of birds—the shade underneath invited caravans and travelers.
Once, sage Narada was passing by the tree. Soon, the tree’s perfect condition took him by surprise. Not even a single shoot was damaged. Henceforth, he wondered why the wind god, Marut, spared only this tree. “Is Marut your friend,” asked the sage. “The mighty Marut uproots even the strongest of the trees, agitates lofty mountains, and dries up seas. How come he let you intact?” added the sage.
Immediately, the conceited tree replied, “Neither Marut is my friend nor do I please him. I stand perfect on my own virtue. Let alone Marut hurting me, his power is no match to even an eighteenth of mine!”
The haughty words of the tree took the sage by a shock. Thereupon, Narada described Marut‘s mighty deeds and advised the tree to give up his arrogance. After noticing his reluctance, the sage had no good words left for the tree. Hence the enraged sage left to see Marut.
Later, having heard of the tree’s arrogance from Narada, the angry Marut came to see the tree. Then, he insisted that the tree give up his attitude. Also, he said, “I graced you all these days only because Lord Brahma, tired from the task of creation, rested under your canopy.”
Then, the silk-cotton tree laughed and ridiculed Marut‘s strength. Consequently, the furious Marut roared, “Prepare for a contest tomorrow morning.”
The tree kept thinking about the contest all night. He recollected Narada‘s words describing Marut‘s mighty deeds. Marut‘s roar haunted his ears. Marut‘s angry face frightened him. Ultimately, the scared tree decided to cut his branches off before dawn to ward off Marut‘s wrath.
Upon dawn, Marut saw the tree with broken branches and lost-appeal. He laughed and sarcastically complimented the foolish tree for completing his task. The tree felt ashamed.
Moral: Don’t oppose the undefeatable. Bhishma says, “Intellect is the mightiest of all strengths. Hence, a king should never undermine or self-inflict the animosity of intellectuals.”
