Shloka 69
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
अराजा किल नो राज्ञ: सखा भवितुमहसि । अतः: प्रयतितं राज्ये यज्ञसेन मया तव,'यज्ञसेन! तुमने कहा था--जो राजा नहीं है, वह राजाका मित्र नहीं हो सकता; इसीलिये मैंने तुम्हारा राज्य लेनेका प्रयत्न किया है
arājā kila no rājñaḥ sakhā bhavitum arhasi | ataḥ prayatitaṃ rājye yajñasena mayā tava ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Indeed, one who is not a king cannot be a friend to a king. Therefore, O Yajñasena, I have striven to secure your kingship.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a norm of royal polity: friendship among rulers is tied to status and sovereignty. Ethical-political relationships are portrayed as structured by legitimacy and power—without kingship, one lacks the standing to enter equal alliance with a king.
The speaker reports a justification addressed to Yajñasena (Drupada): since a non-king cannot be a king’s friend, efforts were undertaken to obtain or restore Yajñasena’s kingdom, so that a proper alliance/friendship with a king could be established.