Shloka 42
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
स्थाता न: समये तस्मिन् पितेति कृतनिश्चया: । नाहास्म समयं तात तच्च नो ब्राह्मणा विदु:,“तात! आप हमारे ज्येष्ठ पिता हैं, अत: हमारे विषयमें की हुई अपनी प्रतिज्ञापर डटे रहेंगे (अर्थात् वनवाससे लौटनेपर हमारा राज्य हमें प्रसन्नतापूर्वक लौटा देंगे)--ऐसा निश्चय करके ही हमने वनवास और अज्ञातवासकी शर्तको कभी नहीं तोड़ा है, इस बातको हमारे साथ रहे हुए ब्राह्मणलोग जानते हैं
sthātā naḥ samaye tasmin pite iti kṛtaniścayāḥ | nāhāsma samayaṃ tāta tac ca no brāhmaṇā viduḥ ||
قال فَيْشَمْبَايَنَة: «وقد عزمنا أن أبانا، عند حلول الأجل المعيَّن، سيثبت على عهده—“سيعاملنا حقًّا معاملة الأب”—فلذلك، يا سيدي، لم نخرق قطّ الشرط المتَّفق عليه؛ والبراهمة الذين أقاموا معنا يعلمون أن هذا حق.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma as fidelity to a sworn agreement: moral authority and rightful claim rest on keeping one’s pledged terms, and public witnesses (here, Brahmins) strengthen the ethical and social legitimacy of that truth.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, the speaker reports a claim that the exiled party never broke the stipulated conditions of their agreement; they endured the term relying on the expectation that the ‘father’ figure would honor his promise at the appointed time, with Brahmins serving as corroborating witnesses.