Adhyaya 20 — Ritadhvaja’s Companionship with the Naga Princes and the Origin of the Horse Kuvalaya
धिक् तस्य जीवितं पुंसो मित्राणामुपकारिणाम् ।
प्रतीरूपमकुर्वन् यो जीवामीत्यवगच्छति ॥
dhik tasya jīvitaṃ puṃso mitrāṇām upakāriṇām | pratirūpam akurvan yo jīvāmīty avagacchati ||
நண்பர்கள் உதவியிருந்தும் உரிய பதிலுதவி செய்யாதவன், அதுவும் ‘நான் நன்றாக வாழ்கிறேன்’ என்று எண்ணினால்—அவனுடைய வாழ்வுக்கு நிந்தை.
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To accept benefit without repayment corrodes personhood; mere biological survival is not ‘living’ in the dharmic sense. Social bonds are sustained by pratyupakāra (appropriate reciprocity).
Ethical admonition (ācāra-dharma), not pañcalakṣaṇa.
The ‘fitting return’ is the balancing of energies: taking without giving creates inner debt (ṛṇa) and spiritual stagnation, even if outward life appears comfortable.