Shloka 1
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
अपन क्राता बछ। अं काज दशमो< ध्याय: अनधिकारीको उपदेश देनेसे हानिके विषयमें एक शूद्र और तपस्वी ब्राह्मणकी कथा युधिछिर उवाच मित्रसौहार्दयोगेन उपदेशं करोति यः । जात्याधरस्य राजर्षेदोषस्तस्य भवेन्न वा
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: mitra-sauhārda-yogena upadeśaṃ karoti yaḥ | jāty-adharasya rājarṣe doṣas tasya bhaven na vā ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O maharlikang ṛṣi, kung ang isang tao, dahil sa pagkakaibigan at mabuting kalooban, ay nagbibigay ng aral sa isang taong mas mababa ang katayuang panlipunan, nagdudulot ba iyon ng kasalanan sa kanya—o hindi? Nais kong malaman ito nang wasto. Ipaliwanag mo nang masinsinan, sapagkat ang landas ng dharma ay maselan, at madaling maligaw ang tao tungkol dito.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical dilemma: whether the moral status of giving guidance depends on the recipient’s social rank, or on the giver’s intention and the nature of the counsel. It highlights that dharma is subtle and must be judged carefully, not by simplistic rules.
Yudhiṣṭhira asks the elder authority (Bhīṣma) to clarify whether a person incurs fault by instructing someone considered socially ‘lower,’ when the instruction is motivated by friendship and goodwill. This question introduces a discussion (and later an illustrative story) about the risks and propriety of giving counsel to the unqualified.