Shloka 5
Divodāsa–Mādhavī Saṃvāda: Pratardana-janma and Kanyā-niryātana (दिवोदास–माधवी संवादः / प्रतर्दन-जननम् / कन्या-निर्यातनम्)
गालव उवाच एकत: श्यामकर्णानां शतान्यष्टौ प्रयच्छ मे । हयानां चन्द्रशु भ्राणां देशजानां वपुष्मताम्
gālava uvāca | ekataḥ śyāmakarṇānāṃ śatāny aṣṭau prayaccha me | hayānāṃ candrasubhrāṇāṃ deśajānāṃ vapuṣmatām ||
Gālava sprach: „Gewähre mir achthundert Pferde — edel, gut gezüchtet und kräftig, aus guten Landstrichen stammend — deren Leiber in mondgleicher Weiße glänzen, deren Ohren jedoch auf einer Seite dunkel sind.“
गालव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vows and social duties can turn personal relationships into obligations governed by dharma: one must meet stipulated conditions (here, a specific gift) to act honorably within accepted norms, even when the demand is difficult.
Gālava states a precise requirement—eight hundred special horses with distinctive coloring—as the condition to be fulfilled. The request functions as a formal demand in an exchange context (a stipulated fee/bride-price) within the ongoing negotiations and duties described in this section of the Udyoga Parva.