Shloka 69
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
अराजा किल नो राज्ञ: सखा भवितुमहसि । अतः: प्रयतितं राज्ये यज्ञसेन मया तव,'यज्ञसेन! तुमने कहा था--जो राजा नहीं है, वह राजाका मित्र नहीं हो सकता; इसीलिये मैंने तुम्हारा राज्य लेनेका प्रयत्न किया है
arājā kila no rājñaḥ sakhā bhavitum arhasi | ataḥ prayatitaṃ rājye yajñasena mayā tava ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Quả thật, kẻ không phải là vua thì không thể làm bạn của vua. Vì thế, hỡi Yajñasena, ta đã nỗ lực để giành lại vương quyền cho ngươi.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a norm of royal polity: friendship among rulers is tied to status and sovereignty. Ethical-political relationships are portrayed as structured by legitimacy and power—without kingship, one lacks the standing to enter equal alliance with a king.
The speaker reports a justification addressed to Yajñasena (Drupada): since a non-king cannot be a king’s friend, efforts were undertaken to obtain or restore Yajñasena’s kingdom, so that a proper alliance/friendship with a king could be established.