Shloka 43
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
तस्मिन् नः समये तिष्ठ स्थितानां भरतर्षभ । नित्यं संक्लेशिता राजन् स्वराज्यांशं लभेमहि
tasmin naḥ samaye tiṣṭha sthitānāṃ bharatarṣabha | nityaṃ saṅkleśitā rājan svarājyāṃśaṃ labhemahi ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “At this very moment, O bull among the Bharatas, stand firm with us who remain steadfast to our pledged agreement. O King, we have long endured hardship; now we should obtain our rightful share of the kingdom.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfastness to one’s pledged word and the ethical demand for just restitution: those who have endured wrong and hardship should receive their rightful share, and rulers should uphold agreements in accordance with dharma.
In the context of Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, a speaker urges the addressed king/prince—called “best of the Bharatas”—to remain firm in the agreed pledge, emphasizing that the long-suffering party now deserves its legitimate portion of sovereignty.