Shloka 26
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते
aśvamedhasahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrād dhi satyam eva viśiṣyate ||
যদি এক পাশে সহস্র অশ্বমেধ যজ্ঞ এবং অন্য পাশে একমাত্র সত্যকে তুলাদণ্ডে রাখা হয়, তবে সহস্র অশ্বমেধের চেয়েও সত্যের পাল্লাই ভারী হয়।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) is presented as a higher form of dharma than even the most prestigious and merit-producing rituals; moral integrity outweighs ceremonial accomplishment.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he uses a vivid comparison—placing a thousand Aśvamedhas and Truth on a scale—to emphasize to the listener that ethical truth is the supreme value.