Shloka 21
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī
यो भवेद्धृदि संकल्प: शुभो वा यदि वाशुभ: । अन्योन्यस्य स आख्येय इति तद् वै मृषा कृतम्
yo bhaved hṛdi saṅkalpaḥ śubho vā yadi vāśubhaḥ | anyonyasya sa ākhyeya iti tad vai mṛṣā kṛtam ||
Whatever intention arises in the heart—whether auspicious or inauspicious—if one claims, ‘It must be disclosed to one another,’ that assertion is indeed a fabrication. Inner resolve is subtle and personal; forcing its disclosure as a rule can become untruthful and ethically unsound.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Not every thought or intention arising in the heart can be made a compulsory subject of mutual disclosure; claiming that it must always be told is itself ‘contrived falsehood.’ Dharma requires discernment in speech—truthfulness is not served by forcing premature or inappropriate revelation of inner impulses.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is instructing about the nature of inner intention (saṅkalpa) and the ethics of speech, warning against a simplistic rule that whatever arises in the mind must be declared to others; such a claim can lead to untruth and moral confusion.