Shloka 56
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
ईप्सितं तु करिष्यामि मनसस्तव पाण्डव
īpsitaṃ tu kariṣyāmi manasas tava pāṇḍava | parantu bharatasattama rājā nīlasya kule yāvat teṣāṃ vaṃśaparamparā pravartiṣyate tāvat mayā asyā māhiṣmatīpuryā rakṣā kartavyā | pāṇḍukumāra sahaiva ca tava manoratho 'pi pūrayiṣyāmi ||
Sahadeva said: “I will indeed do what your mind desires, O Pāṇḍava. Yet, O best of the Bharatas, so long as King Nīla’s lineage continues in his house, it remains my duty to safeguard this city of Māhiṣmatī. O son of Pāṇḍu, even so, I will also fulfill your purpose.”
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as a binding obligation: even while agreeing to fulfill a superior’s wish, one must not abandon a prior, rightful duty—here, the pledged protection of Māhiṣmatī as long as King Nīla’s dynasty endures.
Sahadeva responds to a Pāṇḍava’s request by consenting to carry it out, but he sets a clear condition grounded in responsibility: he must continue guarding Māhiṣmatī for King Nīla’s line, while still promising to accomplish the Pāṇḍava’s objective.