Shloka 17
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 106: Pūrva-Diśa Praśaṃsā
Praise and Primacy of the Eastern Quarter
सुहृद् भवान् मम मतः सुहृदां च मत: सुहृत् । ईप्सितेनाभिलाषेण योक्तव्यो विभवे सति
suhṛd bhavān mama mataḥ suhṛdāṃ ca mataḥ suhṛt | īpsitenābhilāṣeṇa yoktavyo vibhave sati |
নারদ বললেন— “গালব! তুমি আমার প্রিয় সুহৃদ, আর আমার সুহৃদদের কাছেও তুমি প্রিয় সুহৃদ। সুহৃদদের এটাই ধর্ম—যখন কারও কাছে ঐশ্বর্য ও সামর্থ্য থাকে, তখন তা দিয়ে বন্ধুজনের অভীষ্ট কামনা ও অভিপ্রায় পূর্ণ করা উচিত।”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharma of friendship: when one has resources and prosperity, one should actively use them to help fulfill a friend’s rightful and cherished aims. Friendship is defined not merely by affection but by practical support when capacity exists.
Nārada addresses Gālava, affirming him as a trusted friend to himself and to his circle. He then states a general principle: a friend who possesses wealth should employ it to accomplish the desired purpose of a friend—setting an ethical frame for assistance and patronage.