Shloka 25
Varuṇa’s Bestowal of the Gāṇḍīva and the Arming of Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna
Khāṇḍava Prelude
चित्राड़दाया: शुल्कं त्वं गृहाण बभ्रुवाहनम् । अनेन च भविष्यामि ऋणान्मुक्तो नराधिप,“महाराज! इस बश्रुवाहनको आप चित्रांगदाके शुल्करूपमें ग्रहण कीजिये, इससे मैं आपके ऋणसे मुक्त हो जाऊँगा”
citrāṅgadāyāḥ śulkaṃ tvaṃ gṛhāṇa babhruvāhanam | anena ca bhaviṣyāmi ṛṇān mukto narādhipa ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, nimm Babhruvāhana als Brautpreis für Citrāṅgadā an. Durch diese Tat werde ich von meiner Schuld dir gegenüber frei sein.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ṛṇa (debt/obligation) as an ethical burden: one should discharge what is owed through socially and morally recognized means. It also reflects how dharma operates through accepted customs—here, marriage arrangements and the notion of śulka—linking personal integrity with public norms.
The speaker addresses a king and urges him to accept Babhruvāhana as the śulka connected with Citrāṅgadā’s marriage. The acceptance is presented as settling an outstanding obligation, so that the speaker becomes ‘freed from debt’ toward the king.