Shloka 21

Devanagari script

युधन्वोवाच पितरं ते गमिष्याव: प्राणयोर्विपणे कृते । पुत्रस्यापि स हेतोहिं प्रह्ादो नानृतं वदेत्‌,सुधन्वा बोला--प्राणोंकी बाजी लग जानेपर हम दोनों तुम्हारे पिताके पास चलेंगे। [मुझे विश्वास है कि] प्रह्नाद अपने बेटेके (जीवनके) लिये भी झूठ नहीं बोल सकते हैं

Transliteration

Sudhanvovāca: pitaram te gamiṣyāvaḥ prāṇayor vipaṇe kṛte | putrasyāpi sa hetoḥ hi Prahlādo nānṛtaṁ vadet ||

Translation

Sudhanvan sprach: „Wenn unser Leben als Einsatz feststeht, werden wir beide zu deinem Vater gehen. Denn Prahlāda würde selbst um des Lebens seines eigenen Sohnes willen keine Unwahrheit sprechen.“

Word by Word

सुधन्वाSudhanvan (name)

उवाचsaid

पितरम्father

तेof you/your

गमिष्यावःwe two will go

प्राणयोःof (our) two lives

विपणेin the stake/bargain

कृतेwhen made/done

पुत्रस्यof (his) son

अपिeven/also

सःhe

हेतोःfor the sake of/because of

हिindeed/for

प्रह्लादःPrahlada (name)

नnot

अनृतम्falsehood/untruth

वदेत्would say/should say

Speaker

विरोचन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sudhanvan

Prahlāda

Virocana

Virocana's father (Prahlāda)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthfulness is presented as an uncompromising ethical ideal: Prahlāda’s integrity is so firm that he would not utter falsehood even to save his own son’s life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a dispute where life itself has been set as the stake, Sudhanvan proposes that both parties go to Virocana’s father, Prahlāda, trusting that Prahlāda will judge or testify truthfully without bias.