Mahabharata 1.115.18 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 115, Shloka 18
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
वितथं नोक्तपूर्व मे स्वैरेष्वपि कुतो5न्यथा । घृतपूर्ण कुण्डशतं क्षिप्रमेव विधीयताम्
vitathaṁ noktapūrvaṁ me svair eṣv api kuto ’nyathā | ghṛtapūrṇaṁ kuṇḍaśataṁ kṣipram eva vidhīyatām |
ব্যাস বললেন—আমি কখনও স্বেচ্ছা-পরিহাসেও মিথ্যা বলিনি; তবে বরদান প্রভৃতি উপলক্ষে উচ্চারিত আমার বাক্য কীভাবে অসত্য হবে? অতএব শীঘ্রই একশো কুণ্ড (মটকা) প্রস্তুত করে তাতে ঘি ভরে দাও।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores satya (truthfulness) as a foundational ethical principle: a sage’s word is presented as intrinsically reliable, so a statement made in serious contexts (like a boon) must be treated as binding and true.
Vyāsa asserts that he has never lied, even in jest, and therefore his present declaration cannot be false. He then issues a practical instruction: to promptly prepare one hundred vessels and fill them with ghee, indicating an immediate ritual or consequential arrangement tied to his pronouncement.
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