Shloka 17
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 34 — Vidura’s Counsel on Deliberation, Speech-Discipline, and Dharmic Kingship
पिता हि ते समासीनमुपासीतैव मामधथ: । बाल: सुखैधितो गेहे न त्वं किंचन बुध्यसे,तुम्हारे पिता प्रह्नाद नीचे बैठकर ही उच्चासनपर आसीन हुए मुझ सुधन्वाकी सेवा किया करते हैं। तुम अभी बालक हो, घरमें सुखसे पले हो; अतः तुम्हें इन बातोंका कुछ भी ज्ञान नहीं है
pitā hi te samāsīnam upāsītaiva mām adhaḥ | bālaḥ sukhādhito gehe na tvaṃ kiñcana budhyase ||
Sudhanvan berkata: “Ayahmu, Prahlāda, dahulu duduk di bawah dan melayaniku, meskipun engkau tetap duduk di tempat yang lebih tinggi. Engkau masih kanak-kanak, dibesarkan dalam kenyamanan rumah; maka engkau tidak memahami perkara-perkara ini.”
विरोचन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims to status are often justified by invoking past acts of deference and hierarchy; it cautions that comfort and immaturity can limit one’s understanding of deeper social and ethical realities.
Virocana rebukes the listener by asserting his own superiority: he says the listener’s father (Prahlāda) used to serve him from a lower seat, while the listener, being young and raised in comfort, lacks knowledge of these prior relations.