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 ||
“Apabila tuanku ketawa, hatiku seakan-akan menjadi malu dan serba salah. Wahai raja, aku menyoal tuanku dengan sumpah yang berat—katakanlah kebenaran sebagaimana yang tuanku benar-benar kehendaki; jangan mengelak dengan kata-kata lain untuk memperdaya atau menenangkanku.”
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.