Shloka 109

Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहा भारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि सत्यानृतकविभागे नवाधिकशततमोड<ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi satyānṛtakavibhāge navādhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Śānti Parva—specifically in the section on the instruction of royal duties—ends the one-hundred-and-ninth chapter, in the topic that distinguishes truth from untruth. This is a concluding colophon marking the close of the chapter’s ethical discussion on how a ruler should discern and uphold truth while recognizing the dangers and consequences of falsehood.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; so (end-quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्री: auspiciousness; venerable (honorific)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• महाभारते: in the Mahābhārata
• महाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शान्तिपर्वणि: in the Śānti-parvan
• शान्तिपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तिपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि: in the Rājadharmānuśāsana-parvan (section on instruction in royal duties)
• राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सत्यानृतकविभागे: in the division/classification of truth and untruth
• सत्यानृतकविभागे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यानृतकविभाग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नवाधिकशततमः: one-hundred-and-ninth
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवाधिकशततम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mahābhārata
• Śānti Parva
• Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva
• Satya
• Anṛta

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The chapter’s stated theme is the discernment between satya (truth) and anṛta (falsehood) within rājadharma: a ruler’s ethical responsibility to recognize truth, avoid deception, and understand the moral and practical consequences that follow from truthfulness versus falsehood.

What is happening in the narrative?

This line is a formal colophon concluding the chapter. It situates the discussion within the Mahābhārata’s Śānti Parva, in the rājadharma instruction section, and names the topic (truth and untruth), marking the end of the 109th chapter.