Shloka 70
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
निश्चय: स्वार्थशास्त्रेषु विश्वासश्वासुखोदय: । उशना चैव गाथे डे प्रह्लादायाब्रवीत् पुरा
brahmadatta uvāca | niścayaḥ svārthaśāstreṣu viśvāsaś ca asukhodayaḥ | uśanā caiva gāthe dve prahlādāyābravīt purā |
निश्चयः स्वार्थशास्त्रेषु विश्वासश्चासुखोदयः । उशना चैव गाथे द्वे प्रह्लादायाब्रवीत्पुरा ॥
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a nīti (practical-ethical) maxim: unguarded trust can become a cause of suffering; therefore one should place confidence with discernment rather than naïvely.
Brahmadatta is speaking and introduces an older authority: Uśanā (Śukrācārya) once instructed Prahlāda with two didactic verses, which are about to be quoted to support the point about the dangers of trust.