Shloka 663
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
एतच्छुत्वा ब्रूहि पार्थ यदि वध्यो युधिष्ठिर: । अतः धर्मके लिये झूठ बोलनेपर मनुष्य असत्यभाषणके दोषका भागी नहीं होता। अर्जुन! मैं तुम्हारा हित चाहता हूँ, इसलिये आज मैंने अपनी बुद्धि और धर्मके अनुसार संक्षेपसे तुम्हारे लिये यह विधिपूर्वक धर्माधर्मके निर्णयका संकेत बताया है। यह सुनकर अब तुम्हीं बताओ, क्या अब भी राजा युधिष्ठिर तुम्हारे वध्य हैं
etac chrutvā brūhi pārtha yadi vadhyo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | ataḥ dharmakārye lie jhūṭha bolnepara manuṣya asatyabhāṣaṇake doṣakā bhāgī nahīṃ hotā | arjuna! maiṃ tumhārā hita cāhatā hūṃ, isaliye āja maine apnī buddhi aura dharmake anusāra saṅkṣepase tumhāre liye yah vidhipūrvak dharmādharmake nirṇayakā saṅketa batāyā hai | yah sunkara ab tumhīṃ batāo, kyā ab bhī rājā yudhiṣṭhira tumhāre vadhya haiṃ
Vāyu said: “Having heard this, tell me, O Pārtha: is Yudhiṣṭhira to be slain? For when a falsehood is spoken for the sake of dharma, a person does not incur the fault of untruth. Arjuna, I seek your welfare; therefore today, according to my understanding and in keeping with dharma, I have briefly indicated to you—by proper reasoning—the sign by which to decide what is dharma and what is not. Now, after hearing this, you yourself tell me: is King Yudhiṣṭhira still someone you ought to kill?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a nuanced ethical claim: untruth spoken strictly for a dharmic purpose may not carry the usual moral दोष (fault). Vāyu urges Arjuna to use discernment (buddhi) to decide dharma vs. adharma rather than applying rules mechanically.
Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) after giving guidance about judging dharma and adharma. He then challenges Arjuna directly: in light of that guidance, should Yudhiṣṭhira be considered ‘vadhya’ (a legitimate target for killing) or not?