Shloka 66

Devanagari script

सौद्दं मे त्वया हयासीत्‌ पूर्व सामर्थ्यबन्धनम्‌ । नाक्रोत्रिय: श्रोत्रियस्थ नारथी रथिन: सखा,“पहले तुम्हारे साथ मेरी जो मित्रता थी, वह सामर्थ्यको लेकर थी--उस समय हम दोनोंकी शक्ति समान थी (किंतु अब वैसी बात नहीं है)। जो श्रोत्रिय नहीं है, वह श्रोत्रिय (वेदवेत्ता)-का, जो रथी नहीं है, वह रथीका सखा नहीं हो सकता

Transliteration

sauddhaṁ me tvayā hy āsīt pūrvaṁ sāmarthyabandhanam | nākrotriyaḥ śrotriyastha nārathī rathinaḥ sakhā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Formerly, the bond between you and me was a friendship grounded in equal capability—at that time our strength was comparable. But that is no longer so. One who is not a śrotriya cannot truly be the companion of a śrotriya; one who is not a charioteer cannot be the friend of a master chariot-warrior.”

Word by Word

• {'sauddham': 'friendship

• companionship (bond of amity)', 'me': 'of me

• my', 'tvayā': 'with you (instrumental singular)', 'hi': 'indeed

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

• earlier', 'sāmarthya': 'capacity

• competence', 'bandhanam': 'bond

• basis of attachment', 'na': 'not', 'a-śrotriyaḥ': 'one who is not a śrotriya (not learned/qualified in Veda and its discipline)', 'śrotriyastha': 'of/with a śrotriya (i.e., in relation to a Veda-knower)', 'a-rathī': 'one who is not a rathī (not a chariot-fighter/warrior of that class)', 'rathinaḥ': 'of a rathin (chariot-warrior)', 'sakhā': 'friend

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames friendship as sustained by shared qualification and comparable capability: intellectual companionship requires Vedic learning (śrotriya), and martial companionship requires matching warrior status (rathin). It highlights an ethic of propriety (yogyatā)—relationships are expected to align with one’s discipline, training, and station.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker reflects on a prior friendship that existed when both parties were equal in strength or competence, and then declares that the bond no longer holds because the parity (and thus the basis for companionship) has changed, illustrating a socially coded view of who can be considered a true peer or friend.