यो हि मित्रम् अविज्ञाय याथातथ्येन मन्दधीः ॥
मित्रार्थे योजयत्य् एनं तस्य सो ऽर्थो ऽवसीदति ॥
तादृग्रूपम् इदं कार्यं कृतं मम सुहृद्ब्रुवैः ॥
मोहाल् लुब्धस्य पापस्य जिह्माचारैस् ततस् ततः ॥
हतो जयद्रथश् चैव सौमदत्तिश् च वीर्यवान् ॥
अभीषाहाः शूरसेनाः शिबयो ऽथ वसातयः ॥
yo hi mitram avijñāya yāthātathyena mandadhīḥ ||
mitrārthe yojayaty enaṃ tasya so 'rtho 'vasīdati ||
tādṛgrūpam idaṃ kāryaṃ kṛtaṃ mama suhṛdbruvaiḥ ||
mohāl lubdhasya pāpasya jihmācārais tatas tataḥ ||
hato jayadrathaś caiva saumadattiś ca vīryavān ||
abhīṣāhāḥ śūrasenāḥ śibayo 'tha vasātayaḥ ||
'For whoever, dull-witted, not discerning a friend as he truly is, employs him amiss for a friend's sake — that one's undertaking perishes. Just such a deed has been done to me by false friends, out of the delusion of me — greedy, sinful — by crooked counselors, here and there. Jayadratha is slain, and valiant Saumadatti [Bhurishravas], the Abhishahas, the Shurasenas, the Shibis, and the Vasatis.'
24808f99ed0a · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:31:38 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Duryodhana also blames "false friends," crooked counselors — but in listing their misdeeds he forgets that he himself listened to them. It is telling that "mohāt lubdhasya pāpasya" shows him admitting his own delusion and greed, yet immediately shifting the blame onto his advisors. The verse teaches that the wrongdoer shares his guilt with everyone except his own will; and one who chose crooked counselors has no right to blame them alone, for the choice to listen to them was his own.