"Yudhishthira said, 'Tell me O bull of Bharata's race, how a king,
without the usual aids, having obtained a kingdom that is so precious a
possession, behave himself towards a powerful foe.'
"Bhishma said, In this connection is cited the old story of the discourse
between the Ocean and the Rivers. In days of old, eternal Ocean, that
lord of Rivers, that refuge of the foes of the celestials, asked all the
Rivers for resolving this doubt that had arisen in his mind.'
"The Ocean said, 'Ye Rivers, I see that all of you, with your full
currents, bring away trees of large trunks, tearing them off with their
roots and branches. Ye do not, however, ever bring to me a cane. The
canes that grow on your banks are of mean stems and destitute of
strength. Do you refuse to wash them down through contempt, or are they
of any use to you? I desire, therefore, to hear what the motive is that
inspires all of you. Indeed, why is it that canes are not washed down by
any of you, uprooted from the banks where they grow?' Thus addressed, the
River Ganga, replied unto Ocean, that lord of all Rivers, in these words
of grave import, fraught with reason, and, therefore, acceptable to all.'
"Ganga said, 'Trees stand in one and the same place and are unyielding in
respect of the spot where they stand. In consequence of this disposition
of theirs to resist our currents, they are obliged to leave the place of
their growth. Canes, however, act differently. The cane, beholding the
advancing current, bends to it. The others do not act in that way. After
the current has passed away, the cane resumes its former posture. The
cane knows the virtues of Time and opportunity. It is docile and
obedient. It is yielding, without being stiff. For these reasons, it
stands where it grows, without having to come with us. Those plants,
trees, and creepers that bend and rise before the force of wind and
water, have never to suffer discomfiture (by being taken up by the
roots).'
"Bhishma continued, 'That person who does not yield to the power of a foe
that has advanced in might and that is competent to imprison or kill,
soon meets with destruction. That man of wisdom who acts after
ascertaining fully the strength and weakness, the might and energy, of
himself and his foe, has never to suffer discomfiture. An intelligent
man, therefore, when he sees his enemy to be more powerful than himself,
should adopt the behaviour of the cane. That is an indication of wisdom.'"
