Shloka 296
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
मय्यार्जवे जिद्यमतिर्हतस्त्व॑ मित्रद्रोही साप्तपद हि मैत्रम् । '“ओ पापी! मूर्खके समान तुमने पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनके लिये मेरा तिरस्कार करते हुए मेरे प्रति अप्रिय वचन सुनाये हैं। मेरे प्रति सरलताका व्यवहार करना तुम्हारे लिये उचित था; परंतु तुम्हारी बुद्धिमें कुटिलता भरी हुई है
mayy ārjave jidyamatir hataḥ tvaṁ mitradrohī saptapada hi maitram
Sañjaya disse: «Deverias ter lidado comigo com franqueza; em vez disso, tua mente se inclinou ao engano. Por isso, como traidor da amizade, foste abatido pelo teu próprio pecado. Pois se diz que a amizade se sela ao caminhar apenas sete passos juntos — e, no entanto, em ti essa amizade jamais chegou a nascer de verdade.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True friendship requires sincerity (ārjava). Betrayal of a friend (mitradroha), especially through harsh or deceitful speech and intent, becomes self-destructive and is framed as a moral cause of one’s downfall.
Sañjaya reports a rebuke that condemns someone as crooked-minded and a betrayer of friendship, asserting that the person’s death is the consequence of their own wrongdoing; the saying about ‘seven steps’ is invoked to contrast outward association with genuine loyalty.