Shloka 24
नास्ति सत्यात् परो धर्मो नानृतात् पातकं परम् | स्थितिर्हि सत्यं धर्मस्य तस्मात् सत्यं न लोपयेत्,सत्यसे बढ़कर कोई धर्म नहीं और झूठसे बढ़कर कोई पातक नहीं है। सत्य ही धर्मकी आधारशिला है; अतः सत्यका लोप न करे
nāsti satyāt paro dharmo nānṛtāt pātakaṃ param | sthitir hi satyaṃ dharmasya tasmāt satyaṃ na lopayet ||
Bhīṣma said: There is no dharma higher than truth, and no sin greater than falsehood. Truth is the very foundation on which dharma stands; therefore one should never let truth be diminished or abandoned.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is presented as the highest form of dharma, while falsehood is the gravest moral failing. Since dharma depends upon truth as its support, one should preserve truth in speech and conduct.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes a foundational ethical principle—truth as the sustaining ground of righteous life—within his broader counsel on governance and personal conduct.