Shloka 20
एकचक्रानिवासे ब्राह्मणगृहदुःखश्रवणम् | Hearing the Brāhmaṇa Household’s Distress at Ekacakrā
प्राज्ञ: प्राज्प्रलापज्ञ: प्रलापज्ञमिदं वच: । प्राज्ञ प्राज्ञ: प्रलापज्ञ: प्रलापज्ञं वचो5ब्रवीत्,विदुरजी बुद्धिमान् तथा मूढ़ म्लेच्छोंकी निरर्थक-सी प्रतीत होनेवाली भाषाके भी ज्ञाता थे। इसी प्रकार युधिष्ठिर भी उस म्लेच्छभाषाको समझ लेनेवाले तथा बुद्धिमान् थे। अतः उन्होंने युधिष्ठिस्से ऐसी कहनेयोग्य बात कही, जो म्लेच्छभाषाके जानकार एवं बुद्धिमान् पुरुषको उस भाषामें कहे हुए रहस्यका ज्ञान करा देनेवाली थी, किंतु जो उस भाषाके अनभिभक्ञ पुरुषको वास्तविक अर्थका बोध नहीं कराती थी
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: prājñaḥ prājñapralāpajñaḥ pralāpajñam idaṃ vacaḥ | prājña prājñaḥ pralāpajñaḥ pralāpajñaṃ vaco ’bravīt |
Vaiśampāyana said: Vidura, a truly wise man, was skilled even in speech that appears confused or meaningless to the untrained—such as the language of foreigners. Yudhiṣṭhira too was intelligent and capable of understanding that coded manner of speaking. Therefore Vidura addressed him in words that, though framed in that obscure speech, conveyed a hidden meaning to a discerning listener, while revealing nothing of the real intent to one who did not know that mode of expression.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom includes discernment about context and audience: a counselor may convey ethical and strategic guidance in a guarded, coded manner so that only the qualified listener understands, preventing harm that could arise if hostile or unprepared people grasp the message.
The narrator explains that Vidura and Yudhiṣṭhira both understood an obscure/foreign mode of speech. Vidura therefore spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira in that manner, so the intended secret meaning would be clear to Yudhiṣṭhira but remain hidden from others who did not know that speech.