Shloka 7
Jarāsandha–Vāsudeva Saṃvāda: Kṣātra-Dharma, Pride, and the Ethics of Coercion
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 20
यदि मे हृदयं वेत्सि यदि ते प्रत्ययो मयि । भीमसेनार्जुनौ शीघ्र न््यासभूतौ प्रयच्छ मे
yadi me hṛdayaṃ vetsi yadi te pratyayo mayi | bhīmasenārjunau śīghraṃ nyāsabhūtau prayaccha me, rājan ||
Vāyu said: “If you truly know my heart, and if you have trust in me, then, O King, promptly entrust Bhīmasena and Arjuna to me as a pledged deposit.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as trustworthiness and accountable guardianship: genuine confidence is demonstrated through concrete responsibility—entrusting what is precious only to one whose intentions are known and reliable.
Vāyudeva addresses a king and asks him to hand over Bhīmasena and Arjuna immediately as a ‘nyāsa’ (deposit/pledge), using the king’s claimed knowledge of Vāyu’s heart and trust in him as the basis for this request.