Shloka 27
द्वयोयोंगं न पश्यामि तपसो रक्षणस्य च | अवश्यं तु मया कार्य वचन भवतां हितम्,'प्रजानाथ! उन सम्पूर्ण चूहोंके द्वारा इस प्रकार कहे जानेपर मूषकोंके लिये यमराजस्वरूप उस बिलावने उन सबको इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--“मैं तपस्या भी करूँ: और तुम्हारी रक्षा भी--इन दोनों कार्योंका परस्पर सम्बन्ध मुझे दिखायी नहीं देता है--ये दोनों काम एक साथ नहीं चल सकते हैं। तथापि मुझे तुमलोगोंके हितकी बात भी अवश्य करनी चाहिये
dvayor yogaṁ na paśyāmi tapaso rakṣaṇasya ca | avaśyaṁ tu mayā kāryaṁ vacanaṁ bhavatāṁ hitam ||
Sanjaya said: “I do not see how these two can be joined together—practising austerity and providing protection. These two tasks do not seem able to proceed side by side. Yet I must certainly speak what is beneficial for you.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: one may not be able to pursue two aims simultaneously (here, austerity and active protection), yet one still bears responsibility to speak what is truly beneficial (hita) for others—prioritizing welfare-oriented counsel even amid conflicting duties.
Sanjaya reports a speaker’s response that the two roles—performing tapas and providing protection—do not readily fit together, but despite this incompatibility the speaker insists on delivering advice meant for the listeners’ welfare.