Shloka 8

धृतराष्ट्रस्य बलाबलचिन्ता

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Strength and Preference for Śama

Devanagari script

“इसी प्रकार प्रायः यह भी देखता हूँ कि साधु पुरुष उपकारी मनुष्योंके उपकारका बदला चुकानेके लिये उनका बारंबार महान्‌ प्रिय कार्य करना चाहते हैं ।। अग्नि: साचिव्यकर्ता स्यात्‌ खाण्डवे तत्कृतं स्मरन्‌ । अर्जुनस्यापि भीमे5स्मिन्‌ कुरुपाण्डुसमागमे,“कौरव-पाण्डवोंके इस भयंकर संग्राममें अग्निदेव भी खाण्डववनमें अर्जुनके किये हुए उपकारको याद करके उनकी सहायता अवश्य करेंगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | agniḥ sācivyakartā syāt khāṇḍave tatkṛtaṃ smaran | arjunasya api bhīme 'smin kuru-pāṇḍava-samāgame |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：“同样地，我也常见贤善之人屡屡寻机，以宏大而可喜之举报答恩人。火神阿耆尼必将作为盟友出手相助，因为他记得在旃陀婆森林中阿周那曾施予他的恩德。故在这俱卢与般度可怖的会集与冲突之中，他必来援助阿周那。”

Word by Word

अग्निःAgni (fire-god)

साचिव्यकर्ताone who renders assistance/ally

स्यात्would be / should be

खाण्डवेin (the) Khāṇḍava (forest)

तत्that (deed)

कृतम्done

स्मरन्remembering

अर्जुनस्यof Arjuna

अपिalso

भीमेin/at Bhīma (i.e., with Bhīma present; or in Bhīma's case)

अस्मिन्in this

कुरुपाण्डुसमागमेin the meeting/encounter of the Kurus and the Pāṇḍus

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Agni

Khāṇḍava forest (Khāṇḍava-vana)

Arjuna

Kurus

Pāṇḍavas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Noble persons do not forget help received; they actively seek fitting occasions to repay benefactors with meaningful, pleasing deeds. Gratitude and reciprocity are presented as ethical marks of sādhus.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana predicts that Agni will support Arjuna in the impending Kuru–Pāṇḍava confrontation because Agni remembers Arjuna’s earlier assistance during the Khāṇḍava forest episode.