Shloka 65
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
विमृद्य तरसा राष्ट्र पुरं ते मृदितं मया । प्राप्प जीवं रिपुवशं सखिपूर्व किमिष्यते
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: vimṛdya tarasā rāṣṭraṃ puraṃ te mṛditaṃ mayā | prāpya jīvaṃ ripuvaśaṃ sakhipūrva kim iṣyate || rājān! mayā balapūrvakaṃ tava rāṣṭraṃ raunditaṃ, tava rājadhānī mṛttikāyāṃ militā | idānīṃ tvaṃ śatrūṇāṃ vaśe patitaḥ jīvanaṃ gṛhītvā iha āgataḥ | brūhi—kim adhunā pūrvāṃ sakhitām icchasi? ||
“Dinurog ko ang iyong kaharian sa tindi ng lakas; giniling ko sa alikabok ang iyong kabisera. Ngayon, dumating ka rito na kumakapit sa buhay, bagsak sa kapangyarihan ng mga kaaway. Sabihin mo—hinahanap mo pa ba ang pagkakaibigang dati nating taglay?”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between power and relationship: when one party has destroyed another’s realm, any appeal to “old friendship” is morally compromised and politically suspect. It underscores how violence and domination corrode trust and redefine obligations.
A victorious speaker taunts or challenges a defeated king: after crushing his kingdom and city, the victor points out that the defeated has survived only by submitting to enemies, and asks whether he now wants to revive their former friendship—implying a test of sincerity and a reminder of altered power dynamics.