अरयोऽपि हि सन्धेया: सति कार्यार्थगौरवे । अहिमूषिकवद् देवा ह्यर्थस्य पदवीं गतै: ॥ २० ॥
arayo ’pi hi sandheyah sati karyartha-gaurave ahi-musikavad deva hy arthasya padavim gataih
- arayah
- enemies
- api
- although
- hi
- indeed
- sandheyah
- eligible for a truce
- sati
- being so
- karya-artha-gaurave
- in the matter of an important duty
- ahi
- snake
- musika
- mouse
- vat
- like
- devah
- O demigods
- hi
- indeed
- arthasya
- of interest
- padavim
- position
- gataih
- so being.
O demigods, fulfilling one’s own interests is so important that one may even have to make a truce with one’s enemies. For the sake of one’s self-interest, one has to act according to the logic of the snake and the mouse.