Shloka 40
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच संवासाज्जायते स्नेहो जीवितान्तकरेष्वपि । अन्योन्यस्य च विश्वास: श्वपचेन शुनो यथा
brahmadatta uvāca saṃvāsāj jāyate sneho jīvitāntakareṣv api | anyonyasya ca viśvāsaḥ śvapacena śuno yathā ||
Brahmadatta said: “From living together, affection arises—even among those who could bring about one another’s death. And mutual trust too is born, just as between a dog-eater (śvapaca) and a dog.”
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
Close association powerfully generates attachment and trust, sometimes overriding even fear, hostility, or danger; therefore one should be mindful of whom one keeps company with and how relationships shape judgment and conduct.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Brahmadatta states a general observation about human (and animal) psychology: prolonged proximity creates bonds and confidence even between unlikely or perilous counterparts, illustrated through the extreme example of a śvapaca and a dog.