Shloka 102

Devanagari script

लोमशको अपना काम बनानेकी जल्दी लगी हुई थी; अतः वह भलीभाँति विनयपूर्ण बर्ताव करता हुआ विलम्ब करनेवाले चूहेसे इस प्रकार कहने लगा-- ।। न होवं मित्रकार्याणि प्रीत्या कुर्वन्ति साधव: । यथा त्वां मोक्षित: कृच्छात्‌ त्वरमाणेन वै मया,श्रेष्ठ पुरुष मित्रोंके कार्य बड़े प्रेम और प्रसन्नताके साथ किया करते हैं; तुम्हारी तरह नहीं। जैसे मैंने तुरंत ही तुम्हें संकटसे छुड़ा लिया था

Transliteration

na hovaṁ mitrakāryāṇi prītyā kurvanti sādhavaḥ | yathā tvāṁ mokṣitaḥ kṛcchrāt tvaramāṇena vai mayā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Good people do not perform a friend’s work in this manner—without warmth and gladness. I, in haste, rescued you from distress at once; you should not delay when it is time to act for a friend.”

Word by Word

नnot

होवन्O friend (address)

मित्रकार्याणिfriends' tasks / services to friends

प्रीत्याwith affection

कुर्वन्तिdo / perform

साधवःgood men / the virtuous

यथाas / just as

त्वाम्you

मोक्षितःreleased / freed

कृच्छात्from distress / difficulty

त्वरमाणेनby (me) hurrying / hastening

वैindeed

मयाby me

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Lomaśa (as referenced in the prose context)

mouse/rat (as referenced in the prose context)

friend (mitra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A friend’s duty should be done promptly and with genuine goodwill; virtue is shown not merely by doing the act, but by doing it gladly, without delay, and in a spirit of affectionate reciprocity.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker contrasts proper conduct with procrastination: having quickly freed the other from danger, he rebukes the one who is delaying and urges him to act for a friend with the same urgency and warmth.