The Shalmali Boasts Against the Wind

Verse 1 (12.154.1)

बन्धुत्वादथवा सख्याच्छाल्मले नात्र संशयः । कस्मात्त्वां रक्षते नित्यं भीमः सर्वत्रगोऽनिलः ॥

bandhutvādathavā sakhyācchālmale nātra saṃśayaḥ | kasmāttvāṃ rakṣate nityaṃ bhīmaḥ sarvatrago'nilaḥ

It must be through kinship or friendship, O shalmali, without a doubt. Why else does the terrible, all-pervading Wind always protect you?

Note on the text: Lines = CE 12.150.19a (line 1, Wikisource कस्मात्त्वां रक्षते नित्यं against CE pālayaty eva satataṃ, a variant) and 12.150.19c.

Verse 2 (12.154.2)

तद्भावं परमं वायोः शाल्मके त्वमुपागतः । तवाहमस्मीति सदा येन रक्षति मारुतः ॥

tadbhāvaṃ paramaṃ vāyoḥ śālmake tvamupāgataḥ | tavāhamasmīti sadā yena rakṣati mārutaḥ

You have won the wind's highest regard, O shalmali, so that the Wind, saying "I am yours," always protects you.

Verse 3 (12.154.3)

न तं पश्याम्यहं वृक्षं पर्वतं वेश्म चेदृशम् । यं न वायुबलाद्भग्नं पृथिव्यामिति मे मतिः ॥

na taṃ paśyāmyahaṃ vṛkṣaṃ parvataṃ veśma cedṛśam | yaṃ na vāyubalādbhagnaṃ pṛthivyāmiti me matiḥ

I see no tree, mountain or dwelling like this on earth that the Wind's strength has not broken; that is my conviction.

Verse 4 (12.154.4)

त्वं पुनः कारणैर्नूनं रक्ष्यसे शाल्मले यथा । वायुना सपरीवारस्तेन तिष्ठस्यसंशयम् ॥

tvaṃ punaḥ kāraṇairnūnaṃ rakṣyase śālmale yathā | vāyunā saparīvārastena tiṣṭhasyasaṃśayam

But you, surely, are protected by some reasons, O shalmali; that is why you stand, with all your company, unbroken, beyond doubt.

Verse 5 (12.154.5)

न मे वायुः सखा ब्रह्मन्न बन्धुर्मम नारद । चिरं मे प्रीयते नैव येन मां रक्षतेऽनिलः ॥

na me vāyuḥ sakhā brahmanna bandhurmama nārada | ciraṃ me prīyate naiva yena māṃ rakṣate'nilaḥ

The Wind is not my friend, O Brahmin, nor my kinsman, Narada; nor does he have any lasting affection for me, that he should protect me.

Note on the text: The alignment found no match; lines = CE 12.150.23a (na me vāyuḥ sakhā brahman na bandhur na ca me suhṛt; Wikisource न बन्धुर्मम नारद is a variant) and 12.150.23c (Wikisource चिरं मे प्रीयते नैव येन मां रक्षतेऽनिलः against CE parameṣṭhī tathā naiva yena rakṣati mānilaḥ, which the page's footnote cites as a variant). The CE heads this verse śalmalir uvāca; the page prints the heading शाल्मलिरुवाच (correct sandhi of शाल्मलिः उवाच), and the speaker is given as the stem शाल्मलि.

Verse 6 (12.154.6)

मम तेजोबलं भीमं वायोरपि हि नारद । कलामष्टादशीं प्राणैर्न मे प्राप्नोति मारुतः ॥

mama tejobalaṃ bhīmaṃ vāyorapi hi nārada | kalāmaṣṭādaśīṃ prāṇairna me prāpnoti mārutaḥ

My power and strength are terrible, Narada, even beside the Wind; the Wind does not match even the eighteenth part of my vigour.

Verse 7 (12.154.7)

आगच्छन्परुषो वायुर्मया विष्टम्भितो बलात् । भञ्जन्द्रुमान्पर्वतांश्च यच्चान्यत्स्थाणुजङ्गमम् ॥

āgacchanparuṣo vāyurmayā viṣṭambhito balāt | bhañjandrumānparvatāṃśca yaccānyatsthāṇujaṅgamam

When the fierce Wind comes, I stop him by force as he breaks trees and mountains and whatever else there is, moving or still.

Verse 8 (12.154.8)

स मया बहुशो भग्नः प्रभञ्जन्वै प्रभञ्जनः । तस्मान्न विभ्ये देवर्षे क्रुद्धादपि समीरणात् ॥

sa mayā bahuśo bhagnaḥ prabhañjanvai prabhañjanaḥ | tasmānna vibhye devarṣe kruddhādapi samīraṇāt

Many times the Wind, breaker though he is, has been broken by me. Therefore, divine sage, I do not fear the Wind even when he is angry.

Verse 9 (12.154.9)

शाल्मले विपरीतं ते दर्शनं नात्र संशयः । न हि वायोर्बलेनास्ति भूतं तुल्यबलं क्वचित् ॥

śālmale viparītaṃ te darśanaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | na hi vāyorbalenāsti bhūtaṃ tulyabalaṃ kvacit

Your view is mistaken, O shalmali, beyond doubt: no being anywhere is equal to the Wind in strength.

Note on the text: Corrected बले नास्ति → बलेनास्ति (stray space in Wikisource, which makes a double negative with न हि; the critical edition reads balenāsti).

Verse 10 (12.154.10)

इन्द्रो यमो वैश्रवणो वरुणश्च जलेश्वरः । नैतेऽपि तुल्या मरुतः किं पुनस्त्वं वनस्पते ॥

indro yamo vaiśravaṇo varuṇaśca jaleśvaraḥ | naite'pi tulyā marutaḥ kiṃ punastvaṃ vanaspate

Indra, Yama, Vaishravana and Varuna, lord of the waters, are not equal even to the Maruts, the winds; how much less you, O tree?

Verse 11 (12.154.11)

यश्च कश्चिदपि प्राणी चेष्टते शाल्मले भुवि । सर्वत्र भगवान्वायुश्चेष्टाप्राणकरः प्रभुः ॥

yaśca kaścidapi prāṇī ceṣṭate śālmale bhuvi | sarvatra bhagavānvāyuśceṣṭāprāṇakaraḥ prabhuḥ

Whatever creature moves on this earth, O shalmali, it is everywhere the glorious and mighty Wind who gives it movement and breath.

Verse 12 (12.154.12)

एष चेष्टयते सम्यक्प्राणिनः सम्यगायतः । असम्यगायतो भूयश्चेष्टते विकृतं नृषु ॥

eṣa ceṣṭayate samyakprāṇinaḥ samyagāyataḥ | asamyagāyato bhūyaśceṣṭate vikṛtaṃ nṛṣu

When he is rightly restrained, he sets creatures rightly in motion; when wrongly restrained, he makes them move perversely, especially among men.

Verse 13 (12.154.13)

स त्वमेवंविधं वायुं सर्वसत्वभृतां वरम् । न पूजयसि पूज्यं तं किमन्यद्बुद्धिलाघवात् ॥

sa tvamevaṃvidhaṃ vāyuṃ sarvasatvabhṛtāṃ varam | na pūjayasi pūjyaṃ taṃ kimanyadbuddhilāghavāt

Such is the Wind, the best of all that bear life; yet you do not honour him, though he is worthy of worship. What is that but lightness of mind?

Note on the text: Corrected पूज्यन्तं → पूज्यं तं and किमन्यद्वुद्धिलाघवात् → किमन्यद्बुद्धिलाघवात् (misprints in Wikisource; न् inserted for the anusvara of पूज्यं तं, and व for ब in बुद्धि; the critical edition reads pūjyaṃ taṃ … buddhilāghavāt).

Verse 14 (12.154.14)

असारश्चापि दुर्मेधाः केवलं बहु भाषसे । क्रोधादिभिरवच्छन्नो मिथ्या वदसि शाल्मले ॥

asāraścāpi durmedhāḥ kevalaṃ bahu bhāṣase | krodhādibhiravacchanno mithyā vadasi śālmale

You are hollow and foolish, and you talk a great deal to no purpose; veiled by anger and the like, you speak falsely, O shalmali.

Verse 15 (12.154.15)

मम रोषः समुत्पन्नस्त्वय्येवं संप्रभाषति । ब्रवीम्येष स्वयं वायोस्तव दुर्भाषितं बहु ॥

mama roṣaḥ samutpannastvayyevaṃ saṃprabhāṣati | bravīmyeṣa svayaṃ vāyostava durbhāṣitaṃ bahu

Anger has risen in me as you speak thus, so I shall myself tell the Wind at length of your ill-spoken words.

Verse 16 (12.154.16)

चन्दनैः स्यन्दनैः शालैः सरलैर्देवदारुभिः । वेतसैर्धन्वनैश्चापि ये चान्ये बलवत्तराः । तैश्चापि नैवं दुर्बुद्धे क्षिप्तो वायुः कृतात्मभिः ॥

candanaiḥ syandanaiḥ śālaiḥ saralairdevadārubhiḥ | vetasairdhanvanaiścāpi ye cānye balavattarāḥ | taiścāpi naivaṃ durbuddhe kṣipto vāyuḥ kṛtātmabhiḥ

Sandal, spandana, sala, pine, deodar, cane and dhanvana trees, and others that are stronger still, even those self-controlled trees have never provoked the Wind as you do, foolish one.

Note on the text: Three-line verse, as on the page (labelled 12-154-16a/b/c). Lines 1-2 = CE 12.150.34a, 12.150.34c (Wikisource धन्वनैः against CE bandhanaiḥ is a variant); line 3 = CE 12.150.35a. The alignment found no match.

Verse 17 (12.154.17)

तेऽपि जानन्ति वायोश्च बलमात्मन एव च । तस्मात्ते नावमन्यन्ते श्वसनं तरुसत्तमाः ॥

te'pi jānanti vāyośca balamātmana eva ca | tasmātte nāvamanyante śvasanaṃ tarusattamāḥ

They too know the Wind's strength and their own; therefore these best of trees do not despise the Wind.

Note on the text: The alignment found no match; line 1 = CE 12.150.35c, line 2 = CE 12.150.36a (Wikisource तस्मात्ते नावमन्यन्ते against CE tasmāt te vai namasyanti).

Verse 18 (12.154.18)

त्वं तु मोहान्न जानीषे वायोर्बलमनन्तकम् । एवं तस्माद्गमिष्यामि सकाशं मातरिश्वनः ॥

tvaṃ tu mohānna jānīṣe vāyorbalamanantakam | evaṃ tasmādgamiṣyāmi sakāśaṃ mātariśvanaḥ

But you, through delusion, do not know the Wind's endless strength. So I shall go to Matarishvan, the Wind.

Note on the text: Corrected जानीपे → जानीषे (misprint in Wikisource; प for ष; the critical edition reads jānīṣe). Line 1 = CE 12.150.36c; line 2 is a variant of the CE star line 12.150.36d*0401_01 (eṣa tasmād gamiṣyāmi sakāśaṃ mātariśvanaḥ), Wikisource having एवं for eṣa (kept: it is good Sanskrit). The alignment found no match.