Shloka 17
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 106: Pūrva-Diśa Praśaṃsā
Praise and Primacy of the Eastern Quarter
सुहृद् भवान् मम मतः सुहृदां च मत: सुहृत् । ईप्सितेनाभिलाषेण योक्तव्यो विभवे सति,“गालव! तुम मेरे प्रिय सुहद् हो और मेरे सुहृदोंके भी प्रिय सुहृद् हो। सुहदोंका यह कर्तव्य है कि यदि उनके पास धन-वैभव हो तो वे उसका अपने सुहृदका अभीष्ट मनोरथ पूर्ण करनेके लिये उपयोग करें
suhṛd bhavān mama mataḥ suhṛdāṃ ca mataḥ suhṛt | īpsitenābhilāṣeṇa yoktavyo vibhave sati |
Nārada said: “You are held by me to be a true friend, and by my friends as well you are held to be a true friend. This is the duty of friends: when one has means and prosperity, one should use them to fulfill the cherished wish and desired aim of one’s friend.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharma of friendship: when one has resources and prosperity, one should actively use them to help fulfill a friend’s rightful and cherished aims. Friendship is defined not merely by affection but by practical support when capacity exists.
Nārada addresses Gālava, affirming him as a trusted friend to himself and to his circle. He then states a general principle: a friend who possesses wealth should employ it to accomplish the desired purpose of a friend—setting an ethical frame for assistance and patronage.