Shloka 34
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
वसुर्यज्ञशतैरिष्टवा द्वितीय इव वासव: । मिथ्याभिधानेनैकेन रसातलतलं गत:,द्वितीय इन्द्रके समान सौ यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके भी राजा वसु एक ही मिथ्या भाषणके दोषसे रसातलको चले गये
Bhīṣma uvāca | vasur yajñaśatair iṣṭvā dvitīya iva vāsavaḥ | mithyābhidhānenaikena rasātalatalam gataḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: King Vasu, who had performed a hundred sacrifices and was like a second Indra, nevertheless fell to the depths of Rasātala because of a single act of false speech. This shows that ritual merit cannot shield one from the moral consequence of untruth: one deliberate lie can outweigh vast accumulated religious acts.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is a central pillar of dharma: even immense ritual merit (such as performing a hundred sacrifices) can be nullified by a single deliberate false statement, which brings grave karmic consequence.
Bhishma cites King Vasu as a cautionary example: though Vasu was celebrated like a second Indra for his many sacrifices, one instance of false speech led to his fall to Rasātala, illustrating the seriousness of lying.