Shloka 14
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
तथान्यानपि स प्राह राजकोशहरांस्तदा । न चास्य वचन किंचिदनृतं श्रूयते क्वचित्
tathānyān api sa prāha rājakośaharāṁs tadā | na cāsya vacanaṁ kiñcid anṛtaṁ śrūyate kvacit ||
Bhishma said: “In the same way, he then addressed the other thieves who had been stealing from the king’s treasury, declaring to them as well, ‘You have stolen.’ And of this crow, not even a single statement has ever been heard to be false—at any time or in any place.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical power of an unimpeachable reputation for truth: when a speaker is known never to lie, their words carry moral authority in exposing wrongdoing and supporting justice.
Bhishma recounts that the speaker (in the story) similarly confronted other individuals who were stealing from the king’s treasury, accusing them directly; the narrative underscores that this crow’s statements were never known to be false.