Shloka 11

Vāraṇāvata-prasaṃsā and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure (वरणावत-प्रशंसा तथा पाण्डव-प्रयाणम्)

Devanagari script

नाश्रोत्रिय: श्रोत्रियस्थ नारथी रथिन: सखा । नाराजा पार्थिवस्यापि सखिपूर्व किमिष्यते,जो श्रोत्रिय नहीं है, वह श्रोत्रिय (वेदवेत्ता)-का मित्र नहीं हो सकता। जो रथी नहीं है, वह रथीका सखा नहीं हो सकता। इसी प्रकार जो राजा नहीं है, वह किसी राजाका मित्र कदापि नहीं हो सकता। फिर तुम पुरानी मित्रताका क्‍यों स्मरण करते हो?

Transliteration

hūpada uvāca | nāśrotriyaḥ śrotriyastha nārathī rathinaḥ sakhā | nārājā pārthivasyāpi sakhipūrvaṃ kim iṣyate ||

Translation

Hūpada said: “One who is not a śrotriya cannot be a friend to a śrotriya; one who is not a charioteer cannot be the companion of a skilled chariot-warrior; likewise, one who is not a king cannot truly be the friend of a king. So why do you insist on recalling an old friendship?”

Word by Word

• {'nā-': 'not

• a negating prefix', 'śrotriyaḥ': 'a Veda-trained Brahmin

• one learned in Vedic recitation and tradition', 'śrotriyasya (śrotriyastha)': 'of a śrotriya

• (reading suggests ‘of/with the śrotriya’—i.e., in relation to him)', 'rathī': 'a chariot-fighter

• one skilled in chariot warfare', 'rathinaḥ': 'of a rathin (chariot-warrior)', 'sakhā': 'friend

• companion', 'rājā': 'king', 'pārthivasya': 'of a ruler/king (lit. ‘earthly lord’)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'sakhi-pūrvam': 'former friendship

• old companionship', 'kim': 'why? what use?', 'iṣyate': 'is desired/approved/considered proper'}

Speaker

हुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• हूपद (Hūpada)
• श्रोत्रिय (śrotriya)
• रथी/रथिन् (rathī/rathin)
• राजा/पार्थिव (rājā/pārthiva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse argues that friendship is constrained by qualification and social standing: learned associate with learned, warriors with warriors, and kings with kings. It frames friendship as something that must be ‘fitting’ (yogya) to one’s role and status, not merely based on past familiarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Hūpada rebukes someone for invoking an earlier bond of friendship, asserting that the present disparity in rank or qualification makes that old friendship inappropriate or untenable now.