Shloka 54
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
वामदेव उवाच ममैतौ वाम्यौ प्रतिगृह्य राजन् पुनर्ददानीति प्रपद्य मे त्वम् | प्रयच्छ शीघ्र॑ मम वाम्यौ त्वमश्वौ यद्यात्मानं जीवितुं ते क्षमं स्थात्,वामदेव बोले--राजन्! तुमने जब ये मेरे दोनों घोड़े लिये थे, उस समय यह प्रतिज्ञा की थी मैं इन्हें पुन: लौटा दूँगा। ऐसी दशामें यदि अपने-आपको तुम जीवित रखना चाहते हो तो मेरे दोनों वाम्यसंज्ञक घोड़े वापस दे दो
vāmadeva uvāca | mamaitau vāmyau pratigṛhya rājan punar dadānīti prapadya me tvam | prayaccha śīghraṁ mama vāmyau tvam aśvau yady ātmānaṁ jīvituṁ te kṣamaṁ sthāt ||
Vāmadeva said: “O King, when you accepted these two horses of mine called Vāmya, you did so on the pledge, ‘I will give them back again.’ Therefore, if you wish to preserve your own life, return my two Vāmya horses at once.”
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A pledge once made—especially by a king—creates a binding moral obligation. The verse stresses satya (truthfulness) and accountability: life and honor are safeguarded by keeping one’s word, while breaking a vow invites grave consequences.
Vāmadeva confronts a king who had taken his two horses named Vāmya under the promise of returning them. He demands their immediate return, warning that the king’s very survival depends on honoring that earlier commitment.