Shloka 51
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
सव्रीड वै भवति हि मनो मे हसता त्वया । कामया शापितो राजन् नान्यथा वक्तुमहसि
savrīḍa vai bhavati hi mano me hasatā tvayā | kāmayā śāpito rājan nānyathā vaktum arhasi ||
«Quand tu ris, mon esprit se sent comme couvert de honte et de gêne. Ô roi, je t’interroge en te plaçant sous une grave imprécation : dis la vérité telle que tu la veux réellement ; ne m’élude pas par d’autres paroles pour me tromper ou m’apaiser.»
पुरोहित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses satya (truthfulness) and straightforward speech: when questioned under solemn adjuration, one should not evade or mislead with alternative words, especially in matters of counsel between priest and king.
The priest addresses the king, saying the king’s laughter makes him feel embarrassed; he then formally presses the king to answer truthfully and not deflect the question with evasive speech.