Shloka 148
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
कृतं मृगयसे शत्रुं सुखोपायमसंशयम् । “बुद्धिमानू लोमश! जो तुम आज जालके बन्धनसे छूटनेके बाद ही कृतज्ञतावश मुझ अपने शत्रुको सुख पहुँचानेका असंदिग्ध उपाय ढूँढ़ने लगे हो
kṛtaṃ mṛgayase śatruṃ sukhopāyam asaṃśayam | asmin nilaya eva tvaṃ nyagrodhād avatāritaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Tanpa ragu engkau mencari cara yang pasti dan lembut untuk mendatangkan kenyamanan bagi musuhmu sebagai balasan atas suatu perbuatan. Namun di kediaman inilah engkau dahulu diturunkan dari pohon beringin. Mengapa, baru saja lepas dari jerat, engkau begitu bergegas—karena rasa terima kasih—mencari jalan untuk menyenangkan aku, musuhmu? Dalam membalas budi, kedudukan kita setara: jika aku melepaskanmu dari bahaya, engkau pun menyelamatkanku dari mara bahaya yang serupa. Lalu mengapa hanya engkau yang tergesa membayar balasan, sementara aku tidak berbuat apa-apa?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical reciprocity and the subtlety of gratitude: when kindness has been mutually exchanged, one should reflect on whether further repayment is truly owed or whether it becomes performative. It also probes the tension between enmity and moral obligation—benefiting even an enemy can be grounded in dharma rather than self-interest.
Bhishma addresses another character (named Lomasha in the received Hindi gloss) who, after being freed from a trap, seeks a sure way to benefit Bhishma despite calling him an enemy. Bhishma questions the urgency to repay, noting that both have already saved each other from danger, and points to the immediate setting: the same dwelling and the banyan tree from which the other was brought down.