Shloka 72

Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ

Devanagari script

प्रह्माद उवाच त्वं वै धर्मस्य विज्ञाता दैवस्येहासुरस्य च | ब्राह्मणस्य महा भाग धर्मकृच्छूमिदं शूणु

Transliteration

Prahmāda uvāca: tvaṁ vai dharmasya vijñātā daivasyāsurasyā ca | brāhmaṇasya mahābhāga dharmakṛcchram idaṁ śṛṇu ||

Translation

प्रह्लाद उवाच त्वं वै धर्मस्य विज्ञाता दैवस्येहासुरस्य च । ब्राह्मणस्य महाभाग धर्मकृच्छ्रमिदं शृणु ॥

Word by Word

• {'uvāca': 'said', 'tvaṁ': 'you', 'vai': 'indeed, truly', 'dharmasya': 'of dharma

• of righteous duty/law', 'vijñātā': 'knower

• one who understands clearly', 'daivasya': 'of the devas (gods)

• divine', 'iha': 'here

• in this context/world', 'āsurasya': 'of the asuras (anti-gods/demons)', 'ca': 'and', 'brāhmaṇasya': 'of a Brahmin

• of the priestly/learned class', 'mahābhāga': 'O noble/fortunate one

• greatly blessed', 'dharmakṛcchram': 'a dharma-crisis

• difficulty regarding duty', 'idaṁ': 'this', 'śṛṇu': 'listen'}

Speaker

प्रह्माद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Prahmāda
• Dharma
• Devas
• Asuras
• Brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma can present genuine conflicts (dharmakṛcchra), and resolving them requires seeking guidance from one who understands dharma across different communities and contexts, not merely from a single partisan standpoint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Prahmāda addresses a respected authority on dharma, praising his broad understanding of the duties of devas, asuras, and Brahmins, and asks him to hear a pressing moral dilemma that has arisen.