Shloka 26
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते,यदि एक ओर एक हजार अश्वमेध यज्ञोंको और दूसरी ओर एकमात्र सत्यको तराजूपर रखा जाय तो एक हजार अभश्वमेध यज्ञोंकी अपेक्षा सत्यका ही पलड़ा भारी होगा
aśvamedhasahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrād dhi satyam eva viśiṣyate ||
Bhīṣma said: “If a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices are placed on one side of a balance and Truth on the other, Truth alone outweighs even a thousand Aśvamedhas.” The verse declares that moral integrity and truthfulness surpass the greatest ritual attainments, setting ethical dharma above ceremonial merit.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) is presented as a higher form of dharma than even the most prestigious and merit-producing rituals; moral integrity outweighs ceremonial accomplishment.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he uses a vivid comparison—placing a thousand Aśvamedhas and Truth on a scale—to emphasize to the listener that ethical truth is the supreme value.