Shloka 8
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले महातपस्वी गौतमने उस हाथीका अपहरण होता देख राजा धृतराष्ट्रसे कहा-- ।।
bhīṣma uvāca — mā meḍhārṣī histin putram enaṁ duḥkhāt puṣṭaṁ dhṛtarāṣṭrākṛtajña | maitraṁ satāṁ saptapadaṁ vadanti mitradroho maiva rājan spṛśet tvām ||
毗湿摩说：“大苦行者乔多摩严守誓戒，见那象被夺，便对持国王说道：‘持国啊，不知恩的君王！莫夺我此象——它于我如子。我含辛茹苦将它养大。贤者说：只消同走七步，便结为友；凭此因缘，你我亦为朋友。若你携我之象而去，背友之罪必将染及于你。愿你努力，使此罪不临你身，王啊。’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that taking what belongs to a friend—especially after receiving goodwill—constitutes mitradroha (betrayal of friendship). It emphasizes gratitude (kṛtajñatā) and the ethical duty of a king to avoid actions that incur moral fault.
The ascetic Gautama sees his elephant being seized and addresses King Dhritarashtra, pleading that the elephant is like his son, raised with hardship. He invokes the traditional idea that even seven steps together establish friendship, and cautions the king that confiscating the elephant would be a sinful breach of that bond.