Shloka 7
Draupadī’s Lament and the Question of Kṣatriya Forbearance (द्रौपद्याः शोकप्रलापः क्षमानिर्णयश्च)
यो नित्यं क्षमते तात बहून् दोषान् स विन्दति | भृत्या: परिभवन्त्येममुदासीनास्तथारय:,वत्स! जो सदा क्षमा ही करता है, उसे अनेक दोष प्राप्त होते हैं। उसके भृत्य, शत्रु तथा उदासीन व्यक्ति सभी उसका तिरस्कार करते हैं। कोई भी प्राणी कभी उसके सामने विनयपूर्ण बर्ताव नहीं करते, अतः तात! सदा क्षमा करना दिद्वानोंके लिये भी वर्जित है
yo nityaṃ kṣamate tāta bahūn doṣān sa vindati | bhṛtyāḥ paribhavanty enam udāsīnāḥ tathārayāḥ ||
Prahlāda said: “Dear child, one who is always forgiving incurs many faults. His servants grow insolent toward him, and so do indifferent people and even enemies; they treat him with contempt. Therefore, constant forbearance, even though praised, is not to be practiced without discernment.”
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Forgiveness is a virtue, but indiscriminate, constant forbearance can invite practical harm—loss of authority, disrespect from dependents, and emboldening of enemies—so it must be guided by discernment and context.
Prahlāda addresses a younger interlocutor (tāta), offering counsel in the mode of nīti: he warns that perpetual forgiveness can lead to contempt from servants, neutrals, and enemies, implying that a ruler or householder must balance patience with appropriate firmness.