Shloka 8
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
सत्यं च समता चैव दमश्चैव न संशय: । अमात्सर्य क्षमा चैव ह्वीस्तितिक्षानसूयता,राजेन्द्र! सत्य, समता, दम, मत्सरताका अभाव, क्षमा, लज्जा, तितिक्षा (सहनशीलता), अनसूया, त्याग, परमात्माका ध्यान, आर्यता (श्रेष्ठ आचरण), निरन्तर स्थिर रहनेवाली धृति (धैर्य) तथा अहिंसा--ये तेरह सत्यके ही स्वरूप हैं, इसमें संशय नहीं है
satyaṁ ca samatā caiva damaś caiva na saṁśayaḥ | amātsaryaṁ kṣamā caiva hrīs titikṣānasūyatā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Truth, equanimity, and self-restraint—of this there is no doubt. Likewise freedom from envy, forgiveness, modesty, forbearance, and the absence of fault-finding: these are declared as integral expressions of truth itself.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truth (satya) is not merely factual speech; it is a moral-ethical constellation expressed through equanimity, self-restraint, non-envy, forgiveness, modesty, forbearance, and non-censoriousness. These qualities safeguard truth in conduct and character.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma after the war. Here he enumerates virtues, presenting them as defining features or natural expressions of satya, reinforcing ethical governance and personal discipline.