Shloka 33

Devanagari script

विवाहकाले रतिसम्प्रयोगे प्राणात्यये सर्वधनापहारे । विप्रस्य चार्थे हानृतं वदेत पज्चानृतान्याहुरपातकानि,विवाहकालमें, स्त्रीप्रसंगके समय, किसीके प्राणोंपर संकट आनेपर, सर्वस्वका अपहरण होते समय तथा ब्राह्मणकी भलाईके लिये आवश्यकता हो तो असत्य बोल दे; इन पाँच अवसरोंपर झूठ बोलनेसे पाप नहीं होता

Transliteration

vivāhakāle ratisamprayoge prāṇātyaye sarvadhanāpahāre | viprasya cārthe hānṛtaṃ vadet pañcānṛtāny āhur apātakāni ||

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “At the time of marriage, in the context of sexual union, when life is in danger, when one’s entire wealth is being carried off, and when it is necessary for the welfare of a brāhmaṇa—one may speak an untruth. Untruths spoken on these five occasions are declared to be non-sinful.”

Word by Word

{'vivāha-kāla''time of marriage

wedding occasion', 'rati-samprayoga''sexual union

intimate intercourse', 'prāṇa-atyaya''peril to life

threat of death', 'sarva-dhana-apahāra''seizure/abduction of all wealth

total robbery', 'viprasya arthe''for the sake/benefit of a brāhmaṇa', 'hānṛtam': 'untruth

false statement (lit. ‘not-truth’)', 'vadet''one should say/speak', 'pañca': 'five', 'anṛtāni': 'untruths

falsehoods', 'āhuḥ''they say

they declare', 'apātakāni''not a sin/offense

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

vipra (brāhmaṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that truthfulness is a central norm, yet dharma recognizes rare emergency or socially protected contexts where speaking an untruth may be ethically permitted and treated as non-sinful—especially to prevent grave harm (loss of life or total ruin) or to secure a brāhmaṇa’s welfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karṇa Parva, amid the moral strain of the Kurukṣetra war, Śrī Kṛṣṇa articulates a principle of situational ethics (āpaddharma), clarifying that rigid adherence to literal truth can be overridden in specific circumstances to protect higher values such as life, social order, and urgent welfare.