Shloka 6
Draupadī’s Lament and the Question of Kṣatriya Forbearance (द्रौपद्याः शोकप्रलापः क्षमानिर्णयश्च)
प्रह्माद उवाच न श्रेय: सततं तेजो न नित्य॑ं श्रेयसी क्षमा | इति तात विजानीहि द्वयमेतदसंशयम्,प्रह्नाद बोले--तात! न तो तेज ही सदा श्रेष्ठ है और न क्षमा ही। इन दोनोंके विषयमें मेरा ऐसा ही निश्चय जानो, इसमें संशय नहीं है
prahmāda uvāca | na śreyaḥ satataṃ tejo na nityaṃ śreyasī kṣamā | iti tāta vijānīhi dvayam etad asaṃśayam ||
Prahlāda said: “Dear child, sheer brilliance or force is not always the highest good; nor is forbearance always the better course. Know this firmly: in these two—power and patience—there is no single rule that fits every situation.”
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches situational discernment in dharma: neither force/authority (tejas) nor forgiveness/patience (kṣamā) is universally the best. One must judge context and choose the appropriate response rather than clinging to a single virtue as absolute.
Prahmāda addresses a younger listener (“tāta”), offering counsel on conduct. He frames a moral principle: the right course alternates between firmness and forbearance depending on circumstances, and he states this as a settled conviction.