अस्मदर्थं च राजेन्द्र संनह्येद् यदि केशवः ॥
रामो वाप्य् अनिरुद्धो वा प्रद्युम्नो वा महारथः ॥
गदो वा सारणो वापि साम्बो वा सह वृष्णिभिः ॥
सहायार्थं महाराज संग्रामोत्तममूर्धनि ॥
तथाप्य् अहं नरव्याघ्रं शैनेयं सत्यविक्रमम् ॥
साहाय्ये विनियोक्ष्यामि नास्ति मे ऽन्यो हि तत्समः ॥
इति द्वैतवने तात माम् उवाच धनंजयः ॥
परोक्षं त्वद्गुणांस् तथ्यान् कथयन्न् आर्यसंसदि ॥
asmadarthaṃ ca rājendra saṃnahyed yadi keśavaḥ ||
rāmo vāpy aniruddho vā pradyumno vā mahārathaḥ ||
gado vā sāraṇo vāpi sāmbo vā saha vṛṣṇibhiḥ ||
sahāyārthaṃ mahārāja saṃgrāmottamamūrdhani ||
tathāpy ahaṃ naravyāghraṃ śaineyaṃ satyavikramam ||
sāhāyye viniyokṣyāmi nāsti me 'nyo hi tatsamaḥ ||
iti dvaitavane tāta mām uvāca dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
parokṣaṃ tvadguṇāṃs tathyān kathayann āryasaṃsadi ||
"'And for our sake, O lord of kings, even if Keshava, or Rama [Balarama], or Aniruddha, or Pradyumna the great warrior, or Gada, or Sarana, or Samba, along with the Vrishnis, were to arm for help, O great king, at the forefront of the greatest battle — even then I would appoint to my aid the tiger among men, the descendant of Shini, truly valiant; for I have no other equal to him.' Thus, in Dvaitavana, O venerable one, Dhananjaya spoke to me, setting forth your true merits in your absence, before the assembly of the noble."
804d0c795521 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:23 PM UTC
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The highest praise: even before the whole host of the Vrishnis, led by Keshava, Arjuna would choose Satyaki alone — nāsti me anyo hi tatsamaḥ. And this is said parokṣam, in his absence: true praise is that which is spoken when the one praised does not hear it. It is telling that Arjuna praised his friend behind his back, not to his face. The verse teaches that genuine respect for a friend is proven by what is said of him in his absence: whoever speaks of another truthfully and lovingly behind his back honors him sincerely, and not out of flattery.