Shloka 166
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
न ते>स्त्यद्य मया कृत्यं किंचिदन्यत्र भक्षणात् | 'सौम्य! अब तुम्हारा काम बन गया और मेरा प्रयोजन भी सिद्ध हो गया; अतः अब मुझे खा लेनेके सिवा मेरे द्वारा तुम्हारा दूसरा कोई प्रयोजन सिद्ध होनेवाला नहीं है ।।
na te 'sty adya mayā kṛtyaṃ kiñcid anyatra bhakṣaṇāt | saumya! adya tava kāryaṃ kṛtaṃ mama ca prayojanaṃ siddham; ataḥ adhunā māṃ bhakṣayitvā vinā mayā tava nānyat prayojanaṃ sidhyati | aham annaṃ bhavān bhoktā durbalo 'haṃ bhavān balī ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Hôm nay ta không còn việc gì phải làm cho ngươi nữa, ngoài việc để bị ngươi ăn. Hỡi người hiền hòa, việc của ngươi nay đã thành, và mục đích của ta cũng đã toại. Vậy ngoài việc nuốt lấy ta, ta không thể giúp ngươi đạt thêm điều gì nữa. Ta là thức ăn; ngươi là kẻ ăn. Ta yếu; ngươi mạnh.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames duty and completion of purpose in stark ethical terms: once one’s role is fulfilled, one may accept even personal loss for the other’s end. It contrasts weakness and strength (durbala/balī) to highlight responsibility, dependence, and the moral weight of consuming another’s sacrifice.
Bhishma addresses another being as “saumya,” declaring that the other’s objective has been achieved and that his own purpose is complete; now he can serve no further function except as food—“I am the food; you are the eater.” The scene emphasizes a grim transactional closure: the relationship is reduced to consumption after the intended goal is met.