Shloka 18
The Murder of Satrājit and the Recovery of the Syamantaka Jewel
प्रत्याख्यात: स तेनापि शतधन्वा महामणिम् । तस्मिन् न्यस्याश्वमारुह्य शतयोजनगं ययौ ॥ १८ ॥
pratyākhyātaḥ sa tenāpi śatadhanvā mahā-maṇim tasmin nyasyāśvam āruhya śata-yojana-gaṁ yayau
เมื่อถูกอักรูระปฏิเสธ ศตธันวาก็ฝากอัญมณีล้ำค่าไว้กับอักรูระ แล้วขึ้นขี่ม้าที่สามารถเดินทางได้ไกลถึงหนึ่งร้อยโยชน์หนีไป
The term nyasya, “leaving in the care of,” implies Śatadhanvā now believed the jewel was his; thus he was leaving it in the care of a friend. In blunt terms, this is a thief’s mentality.
FAQs
This verse shows how the jewel becomes a source of fear and flight for the guilty—Śatadhanvā, unable to find refuge, entrusts the jewel elsewhere and runs far away, indicating the karmic pressure created by wrongdoing.
Having been refused protection and still burdened by his crime and the pursuit that follows in the narrative, Śatadhanvā hides the jewel by entrusting it to another and flees rapidly to save himself.
Ill-gotten gain rarely brings peace; unethical actions create anxiety and instability—real security comes from integrity, accountability, and choosing dharma over short-term profit.