Shloka 31
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
सत्यस्य वचन साधु न सत्याद् विद्यते परम् तत्त्वेनैव सुदुर्ज्ञेयं पश्य सत्यमनुछितम्,सत्य बोलना उत्तम है। सत्यसे बढ़कर दूसरा कुछ नहीं है; परंतु यह समझ लो कि सत्पुरुषोंद्वारा आचरणमें लाये हुए सत्यके यथार्थ स्वरूपका ज्ञान अत्यन्त कठिन होता है
satyasya vacanaṃ sādhu na satyād vidyate param | tattvenaiva sudurjñeyaṃ paśya satyam anucchitam ||
“Speaking the truth is noble; nothing stands higher than truth. Yet understand this: the real nature of truth—truth as it is rightly lived and embodied by the good—is exceedingly difficult to discern. See how subtle and context-bound truth can be.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is the highest ideal, but applying truth rightly is subtle: the essence of satya as practiced by the virtuous is hard to grasp, requiring discernment rather than mere literalism.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is instructing in the midst of the Karṇa Parva’s war context, emphasizing ethical clarity: even when truth is praised as supreme, its correct form in conduct can be difficult to determine in complex situations.