Shloka 17
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 106: Pūrva-Diśa Praśaṃsā
Praise and Primacy of the Eastern Quarter
सुहृद् भवान् मम मतः सुहृदां च मत: सुहृत् । ईप्सितेनाभिलाषेण योक्तव्यो विभवे सति
suhṛd bhavān mama mataḥ suhṛdāṃ ca mataḥ suhṛt | īpsitenābhilāṣeṇa yoktavyo vibhave sati |
ナーラダは言った。「そなたは我にとって真の友であり、また我が友らにとっても真の友と見なされている。これぞ友の務めである。資財と繁栄を有するなら、それをもって友の愛し願う望みと求める目的を成就させねばならぬ。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharma of friendship: when one has resources and prosperity, one should actively use them to help fulfill a friend’s rightful and cherished aims. Friendship is defined not merely by affection but by practical support when capacity exists.
Nārada addresses Gālava, affirming him as a trusted friend to himself and to his circle. He then states a general principle: a friend who possesses wealth should employ it to accomplish the desired purpose of a friend—setting an ethical frame for assistance and patronage.