Shloka 23
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
तस्य ते पृथिवीपालास्त्वत्समा: पृथिवीपते । श्रेयांसश्षैव राजान: संधास्यन्ते परंतप,शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले भूपाल! उस दशामें जो राजा आपके समान या आपसे बड़े हैं, वे भी आपके साथ संधि कर लेंगे
tasya te pṛthivīpālāstvatsamāḥ pṛthivīpate | śreyāṃsaś caiva rājānaḥ saṃdhāsyante paraṃtapa ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi chúa tể cõi đất, những vị vua ngang hàng với ngài, và cả những người còn cao hơn, cũng sẽ kết minh ước với ngài, hỡi kẻ thiêu đốt quân thù.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a principle of political ethics (rājadharma): even powerful or superior kings may choose saṃdhi (treaty/accord) when it preserves stability and serves a strategic, orderly outcome; strength is shown not only in battle but also in timely conciliation.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king, assuring him that in the prevailing circumstances other rulers—those equal to him and even those greater—will also align with him by making a treaty, implying growing support through diplomacy rather than immediate conflict.