Shloka 21

Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga

Non-attachment

Devanagari script

सत्य बोलना भी श्रेयस्कर है; परंतु सत्यको यथार्थरूपसे जानना कठिन है। मैं तो उसीको सत्य कहता हूँ, जिससे प्राणियोंका अत्यन्त हित होता हो ।।

Transliteration

satyaṁ bolanāpi śreyaskaraṁ; parantu satyaṁ yathārtharūpeṇa jñātuṁ kaṭhinam. ahaṁ tu tam eva satyaṁ vadāmi, yena prāṇinām atyantaṁ hitaṁ bhavati. ahaṅkārasya ca tyāgaḥ pramādasya ca nigrahaḥ, santoṣaś caikacaryā ca kūṭasthaṁ śreya ucyate.

Translation

Nārada dit : Dire la vérité est certes salutaire ; pourtant, connaître la vérité dans sa réalité exacte est difficile. Je n’appelle « vérité » que ce par quoi les êtres obtiennent le plus haut bien. L’abandon de l’orgueil, la maîtrise de l’insouciance, le contentement et une vie de solitude — voilà ce qui est proclamé comme le bien stable et inébranlable.

Word by Word

• {'satyaṁ': 'truth

• what is real/true', 'śreyaskaram / śreyaḥ': 'the good

• what leads to welfare and spiritual benefit', 'yathārtharūpeṇa': 'in accordance with reality

• as it truly is', 'jñātuṁ': 'to know, to understand', 'kaṭhinam': 'difficult', 'ahaṁ': 'I', 'eva': 'alone

• indeed', 'vadāmi': 'I say, I call', 'yena': 'by which

• through which', 'prāṇinām': 'of living beings', 'atyantam': 'supremely

• exceedingly', 'hitam': 'welfare

• benefit', 'bhavati': 'becomes

• comes to be', 'ahaṅkāra': 'ego-sense

• self-conceit', 'tyāgaḥ': 'abandonment

• renunciation', 'pramāda': 'heedlessness

• moral carelessness', 'nigrahaḥ': 'restraint

• control', 'santoṣaḥ': 'contentment', 'eka-caryā': 'solitary conduct

• living/acting alone (austere simplicity)', 'kūṭastham': 'steadfast

• firmly established', 'ucyate': 'is said

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truth is not merely factual speech; the highest ‘truth’ is that which brings the greatest welfare to living beings. Ethical truthfulness is joined to compassion, and supported by inner disciplines—giving up ego, restraining carelessness, cultivating contentment, and adopting a simple, solitary mode of life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Nārada speaks as a teacher, refining the idea of satya (truth) and listing practical virtues that stabilize a person’s conduct and lead to lasting good.