Shloka 86
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
सत्यं ब्रवीम्यहमिदं न मे धारयते भवान् । अनृतं वदसीह त्वमृणं ते धारयाम्यहम्,दूसरा बोला--मैं सच कहता हूँ कि तुमपर मेरा कोई ऋण नहीं है। पहलेने कहा--तुम झूठ बोलते हो। मुझपर तुम्हारा ऋण है
satyaṃ bravīmy aham idaṃ na me dhārayate bhavān | anṛtaṃ vadasīha tvam ṛṇaṃ te dhārayāmy aham ||
Bhishma said, “I speak this truth: you owe me nothing; I hold no claim upon you.” The other replied, “In this you speak falsely. You do owe me—your debt (ṛṇa) to me still stands.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that truth (satya) and obligation (ṛṇa) are ethical realities tested through speech: merely declaring “no debt” does not settle dharma if an obligation truly exists; conversely, falsely asserting a debt is also adharma. Right speech must align with the actual moral account between persons.
Bhishma reports a pointed dialogue between two parties: one insists he owes nothing and speaks it as truth; the other accuses him of lying and asserts that a debt remains. The scene dramatizes a dispute over whether a claim/obligation is valid and whether denial itself becomes falsehood.