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,प्रह्नमाद बोले--महाभाग! आप देवताओं, असुरों तथा ब्राह्मणके भी धर्मको जानते हैं। मुझपर एक धर्मसंकट उपस्थित हुआ है, उसे सुनिये

Transliteration

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

Translation

ప్రహ్లాదుడు అన్నాడు—మహాభాగ! మీరు దేవతల, అసురుల, అలాగే బ్రాహ్మణుల ధర్మాన్ని కూడా బాగా తెలిసినవారు. నాకు ధర్మసంకటము ఒకటి ఎదురైంది; దయచేసి అది వినండి.

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

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

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.