Shloka 14
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
तथान्यानपि स प्राह राजकोशहरांस्तदा । न चास्य वचन किंचिदनृतं श्रूयते क्वचित्
tathānyān api sa prāha rājakośaharāṁs tadā | na cāsya vacanaṁ kiñcid anṛtaṁ śrūyate kvacit ||
Bhishma sprach: „Ebenso wandte er sich damals an die anderen Diebe, die aus der königlichen Schatzkammer stahlen, und erklärte auch ihnen: ‚Ihr habt gestohlen.‘ Und von dieser Krähe hat man niemals gehört, dass auch nur eine einzige Aussage unwahr gewesen sei—zu keiner Zeit und an keinem Ort.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical power of an unimpeachable reputation for truth: when a speaker is known never to lie, their words carry moral authority in exposing wrongdoing and supporting justice.
Bhishma recounts that the speaker (in the story) similarly confronted other individuals who were stealing from the king’s treasury, accusing them directly; the narrative underscores that this crow’s statements were never known to be false.