Shloka 496
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
सत्येन पृष्ट: प्रब्रूहि यदि तान् वेत्थ शंस न: । उन्होंने सत्यवादी कौशिक मुनिके पास आकर पूछा--“भगवन्! बहुत-से लोग जो इधर ही आये हैं, किस रास्तेसे गये हैं? मैं सत्यकी साक्षीसे पूछता हूँ। यदि आप उन्हें जानते हों तो बताइये”
satyena pṛṣṭaḥ prabrūhi yadi tān vettha śaṃsa naḥ |
قال فايُو: «ما دمتَ تُسأل باسم الصدق، فتكلّم. إن كنتَ تعلم أين مضى أولئك القوم فأخبرنا. أسألك والصدقُ شاهدٌ: لقد جاء كثيرون من هذا الطريق؛ فأيَّ سبيلٍ سلكوا حين انصرفوا؟»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic tension: truthfulness in speech is a virtue, yet speech can also cause harm. It invites reflection on how a vow of truth must be guided by responsibility and the broader aims of dharma.
Vāyudeva addresses an ascetic reputed for truthfulness and presses him to disclose the route taken by a group of people. The question is framed ‘with Truth as witness,’ intensifying the pressure to answer and setting up an ethical test about what should be spoken.