Shloka 28
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 34 — Vidura’s Counsel on Deliberation, Speech-Discipline, and Dharmic Kingship
प्रह्माद उवाच पुत्र एको मम ब्रह्म॑ंस्त्वं च साक्षादिहास्थित: । तयोर्विवदतो: प्रश्न कथमस्मद्विधो वदेत्
Prahmāda uvāca: putra eko mama brahman tvaṁ ca sākṣād ihāsthitaḥ | tayor vivadatoḥ praśna katham asmad-vidho vadet ||
Prahmāda said: “My son, on one side stands my own son, and on the other you yourself, O Brāhmaṇa, are present here in person. When these two dispute and a question is raised between them, how could someone like me presume to give an answer?”
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint and humility: when higher authorities or revered figures are in dispute, a person of lesser standing should be cautious about asserting an opinion, recognizing limits of competence and the weight of competing loyalties.
Prahmāda addresses someone as “son” and points out that two authoritative presences—his own revered Brahman and the person addressed, who is present directly—are at odds. Faced with their dispute, he questions how someone like himself can appropriately answer the contested question.