Shloka 13
मृगस्वप्नदर्शनम्
The Deer’s Dream-Appeal and the Move to Kāmyaka
वरप्रदानं राज्यं च पुत्रजन्म च पाण्डवा: | शत्रोश्व मोक्षणं क्लेशात् त्रीणि चैक च तत्समम्,'पाण्डवो! वरदान, राज्यप्रदान, पुत्रकी प्राप्ति कराना तथा शत्रुका संकटसे उद्धार करना--इन चार वस्तुओंमेंसे प्रारम्भके तीन और अन्तका एक समान हैं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: varapradānaṃ rājyaṃ ca putrajanma ca pāṇḍavāḥ | śatroś ca mokṣaṇaṃ kleśāt trīṇi caikaṃ ca tatsamam ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó Pāṇḍavas, conceder uma dádiva, outorgar um reino e assegurar o nascimento de um filho—essas três coisas; e também resgatar alguém da aflição causada por um inimigo—tudo isso é equivalente em mérito.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse equates different forms of beneficence—granting boons, conferring sovereignty, enabling progeny, and rescuing someone from an enemy’s distress—highlighting that compassionate protection and life-supporting gifts can carry comparable ethical merit.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the Pāṇḍavas and states a moral comparison: several great acts of giving and aid are placed on the same scale of worth, emphasizing the value of timely rescue from danger alongside royal and familial blessings.