Shloka 60
जो लोग अन्यायपूर्वक दूसरोंके धन आदिका अपहरण कर लेना चाहते हैं, वे कभी अपने स्वार्थकी सिद्धिके लिये दूसरोंसे सत्यभाषणरूप धर्मका पालन कराना चाहते हों तो वहाँ उनके समक्ष मौन रहकर उनसे पिण्ड छुड़ानेकी चेष्टा करे, किसी तरह कुछ बोले ही नहीं ।। अवश्यं कूजितव्ये वा शड्केरन्नप्पकूजत: । श्रेयस्तत्रानृतं वक्तुं तत् सत्यमविचारितम्,किंतु यदि बोलना अनिवार्य हो जाय अथवा न बोलनेसे लुटेरोंको संदेह होने लगे तो वहाँ असत्य बोलना ही ठीक है। ऐसे अवसरपर उस असत्यको ही बिना विचारे सत्य समझो
avaśyaṃ kūjitabye vā śaṅkerann appakūjataḥ | śreyas tatrānṛtaṃ vaktuṃ tat satyam avicāritam ||
Vāyu-deva said: If one is compelled to speak, or if remaining silent would make the robbers suspicious, then in that situation it is better to speak an untruth. In such an emergency, that untruth should be accepted—without over-deliberation—as the “truth” to be spoken, because it serves the higher aim of escaping harm and protecting oneself from unjust aggressors.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a crisis involving unjust aggressors, strict truth-telling may be overridden by apaddharma: if silence will arouse suspicion and endanger one, speaking an untruth can be the preferable, dharmically justified course for protection and escape.
Vāyu-deva instructs how to respond when confronted by people intent on wrongful seizure (robbers/aggressors): first try to avoid entanglement through silence, but if speech becomes unavoidable or silence itself becomes dangerous, one may speak a protective untruth.