Shloka 169
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स हि भगवानिन्द्रो मम सखा त्वदनुक्रोशादि-ममनुग्रहं कृतवान् । तस्मात् कुण्डले गृहीत्वा पुनरागतोडसि,“वे भगवान् इन्द्र मेरे सखा हैं। तुमपर कृपा करके ही उन्होंने यह अनुग्रह किया है। यही कारण है कि तुम दोनों कुण्डल लेकर फिर यहाँ लौट आये हो
sa hi bhagavān indro mama sakhā tvad-anukrośādī-mamānugrahaṃ kṛtavān | tasmāt kuṇḍale gṛhītvā punar āgato'si ||
For indeed the blessed Indra is my friend; out of compassion toward you he has shown me favor. Therefore, having taken the pair of earrings, you have returned here again.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that actions—especially those involving taking or granting valuables—are often justified through relational duties (friendship) and moral sentiments (compassion). It invites reflection on whether an act labeled as “grace” (anugraha) remains ethically clean when it benefits one party through another’s loss.
The speaker states that Indra, described as his friend, has acted out of compassion toward the addressed person and has thereby favored the speaker. As a result, the addressed person is said to have taken the pair of earrings and returned—indicating a completed act of acquisition followed by a return to the speaker’s presence.