Shloka 6

Vāraṇāvata-prasaṃsā and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure (वरणावत-प्रशंसा तथा पाण्डव-प्रयाणम्)

Devanagari script

सौह्दान्यपि जीर्यन्ते कालेन परिजीर्यत: । सौद्ददं मे त्वया हयासीत्‌ पूर्व सामर्थ्यबन्धनम्‌

Transliteration

sauhṛdāny api jīryante kālena parijīryataḥ | sauhṛdaṁ me tvayā hy āsīt pūrva-sāmarthya-bandhanam ||

Translation

కాలంతో పాటు మనిషి జీర్ణించునట్లు, సౌహార్ద బంధమూ జీర్ణిస్తుంది. పూర్వం నీతో నాకు ఉన్న స్నేహం సామర్థ్యబంధమే—ఆ సమయంలో నీవూ నేనూ శక్తిలో సమానులం.

Word by Word

• {'sauhṛdāni': 'friendships

• bonds of goodwill (plural)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'jīryante': 'grow old

• wear away', 'kālena': 'by time

• with the passage of time', 'parijīryataḥ': 'as (one) becomes thoroughly aged

• in the course of aging', 'sauhṛdam': 'friendship

• amity (singular)', 'me': 'my', 'tvayā': 'with you

• by you (instrumental)', 'hi': 'indeed

• surely', 'āsīt': 'was', 'pūrva': 'formerly

• earlier', 'sāmarthya': 'power

• competence', 'bandhanam': 'bond

Speaker

हुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Hūpada (speaker)
• Time (kāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impermanence of social bonds: friendship can diminish with time and aging, especially when it is grounded in worldly parity such as equal strength or advantage rather than deeper loyalty and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Hūpada reflects on a past relationship, stating that their earlier friendship depended on mutual strength; as circumstances and age change, that earlier basis for closeness has weakened.