Shloka 20
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
मा द्रुह: पाण्डवान् राजन् कुरुष्व प्रियमात्मन: । पाण्डवानां कुरूणां च लोकस्य च नरर्षभ,राजन! तुम पाण्डवोंसे द्रोह न करो। नरश्रेष्ठ] अपना, पाण्डवोंका, कुरुकुलका तथा सम्पूर्ण जगत्का प्रिय साधन करो
mā druḥaḥ pāṇḍavān rājan kuruṣva priyam ātmanaḥ | pāṇḍavānām kurūṇām ca lokasya ca nararṣabha ||
Maitreya said: “O King, do not bear malice toward the Pāṇḍavas. Act in a way that is truly beneficial—dear to your own higher self. O best of men, become the source of what is good and pleasing for the Pāṇḍavas, for the Kurus, and for the whole world.”
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must renounce hostility and act from conscience (ātmā), choosing conduct that benefits not only oneself but also rivals, one’s lineage, and society. Personal enmity is portrayed as adharma because it harms the wider world.
The sage Maitreya addresses a king amid the growing Kuru–Pāṇḍava tension, warning him not to commit treachery against the Pāṇḍavas and urging him to pursue a course that preserves the welfare of the dynasty and the world.