Shloka 104
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
सर्ववेदाधिगमनं सर्वतीर्थावगाहनम् । सत्यं च वचन राजन् सम॑ वा स्यान्न वा समम्,राजन! सम्पूर्ण वेदोंका अध्ययन और समस्त तीर्थोंका स्नान भी सत्य वचनकी समानता कर सकेगा या नहीं, इसमें संदेह ही है (क्योंकि सत्य उनसे भी श्रेष्ठ है)
sarvavedādhigamanaṁ sarvatīrthāvagāhanam | satyaṁ ca vacana rājan samaṁ vā syān na vā samam ||
Duṣyanta said: “O King, even mastering all the Vedas and bathing in all the sacred fords—whether these can truly equal a truthful word is itself doubtful; for truthfulness stands higher than them.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthful speech (satya-vacana) is presented as a supreme ethical value, potentially surpassing even great religious merits like Vedic mastery and pilgrimage bathing; inner integrity is elevated over external rites.
Duṣyanta addresses a king and underscores the extraordinary worth of speaking truth, contrasting it with two major sources of traditional merit—studying all the Vedas and bathing at all tīrthas—to stress that truth may be greater than both.