Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

सौह्दान्यपि जीर्यन्ते कालेन परिजीर्यत: । सौद्ददं मे त्वया हयासीत्‌ पूर्व सामर्थ्यबन्धनम्‌,समयके अनुसार मनुष्य ज्यों-ज्यों बूढ़ा होता है, त्यों-ही-त्यों उसकी मैत्री भी क्षीण होती चली जाती है। पहले तुम्हारे साथ जो मेरी मित्रता थी, वह सामर्थ्यको लेकर थी--उस समय मैं और तुम दोनों समान शक्तिशाली थे

Transliteration

sauhṛdāny api jīryante kālena parijīryataḥ | sauhṛdaṁ me tvayā hy āsīt pūrva-sāmarthya-bandhanam ||

Translation

Even bonds of friendship wear away with time as one grows old. The friendship I once had with you was, in truth, tied to strength and capability—at that time you and I were equals in power, and that parity held our alliance together.

Word by Word

• {'sauhṛdāni': 'friendships

• bonds of goodwill (plural)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'jīryante': 'grow old

• wear away', 'kālena': 'by time

• with the passage of time', 'parijīryataḥ': 'as (one) becomes thoroughly aged

• in the course of aging', 'sauhṛdam': 'friendship

• amity (singular)', 'me': 'my', 'tvayā': 'with you

• by you (instrumental)', 'hi': 'indeed

• surely', 'āsīt': 'was', 'pūrva': 'formerly

• earlier', 'sāmarthya': 'power

• competence', 'bandhanam': 'bond

Speaker

हुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Hūpada (speaker)
• Time (kāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impermanence of social bonds: friendship can diminish with time and aging, especially when it is grounded in worldly parity such as equal strength or advantage rather than deeper loyalty and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Hūpada reflects on a past relationship, stating that their earlier friendship depended on mutual strength; as circumstances and age change, that earlier basis for closeness has weakened.