Shloka 51
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
सव्रीड वै भवति हि मनो मे हसता त्वया । कामया शापितो राजन् नान्यथा वक्तुमहसि
savrīḍa vai bhavati hi mano me hasatā tvayā | kāmayā śāpito rājan nānyathā vaktum arhasi ||
«حين تضحكُ يخجلُ قلبي كأنه انكشف على عيب. أيها الملك، إني أسألك وقد ألزمتُك يميناً مُغلَّظةً: فقل الحقّ كما تريد حقّاً أن تقوله، ولا تُراوغني بكلامٍ آخر لتُضلِّلني أو لتُسكِّن خاطري.»
पुरोहित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses satya (truthfulness) and straightforward speech: when questioned under solemn adjuration, one should not evade or mislead with alternative words, especially in matters of counsel between priest and king.
The priest addresses the king, saying the king’s laughter makes him feel embarrassed; he then formally presses the king to answer truthfully and not deflect the question with evasive speech.