Shloka 65
विमृद्य तरसा राष्ट्र पुरं ते मृदितं मया । प्राप्प जीवं रिपुवशं सखिपूर्व किमिष्यते,“राजन! मैंने बलपूर्वक तुम्हारे राष्ट्रको रौंद डाला। तुम्हारी राजधानी मिट्टीमें मिला दी। अब तुम शत्रुके वशमें पड़े हुए जीवनको लेकर यहाँ आये हो। बोलो, अब पुरानी मित्रता चाहते हो क्या?”
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: vimṛdya tarasā rāṣṭraṃ puraṃ te mṛditaṃ mayā | prāpya jīvaṃ ripuvaśaṃ sakhipūrva kim iṣyate || rājān! mayā balapūrvakaṃ tava rāṣṭraṃ raunditaṃ, tava rājadhānī mṛttikāyāṃ militā | idānīṃ tvaṃ śatrūṇāṃ vaśe patitaḥ jīvanaṃ gṛhītvā iha āgataḥ | brūhi—kim adhunā pūrvāṃ sakhitām icchasi? ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “I have crushed your kingdom with sheer force; I have ground your city into dust. Now you have come here clinging to life, fallen under the power of your enemies. Tell me—do you now seek the friendship that once existed?”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between power and relationship: when one party has destroyed another’s realm, any appeal to “old friendship” is morally compromised and politically suspect. It underscores how violence and domination corrode trust and redefine obligations.
A victorious speaker taunts or challenges a defeated king: after crushing his kingdom and city, the victor points out that the defeated has survived only by submitting to enemies, and asks whether he now wants to revive their former friendship—implying a test of sincerity and a reminder of altered power dynamics.