Shloka 26
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते
aśvamedhasahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrād dhi satyam eva viśiṣyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Si l’on place d’un côté mille sacrifices Aśvamedha et de l’autre la Vérité sur une balance, la Vérité seule l’emporte, fût-ce contre mille Aśvamedhas.» Ce vers proclame que l’intégrité morale et la véracité surpassent les plus grands accomplissements rituels, plaçant le dharma éthique au-dessus du mérite cérémoniel.
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.