Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
निःसंदिग्धं॑ यथा वाक्यमेतन्मे समुदाह्ृतम् । तेनाहं विप्र सत्येन स्वयमात्मानमालभे
niḥsaṃdigdhaṃ yathā vākyam etan me samudāhṛtam | tenāhaṃ vipra satyena svayam ātmānam ālabhe |
“હે બ્રાહ્મણ! મેં આ વચન નિઃસંદેહ ઉચ્ચાર્યું છે. તેથી આ સત્ય સ્થાપિત કરવા હું સ્વયં મારા જ દેહને સ્પર્શ કરી શપથ લઉં છું.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse upholds satya (truth) as an ethical foundation: a righteous speaker should stand behind his words, even to the point of taking a solemn oath, emphasizing accountability and integrity in speech.
Bhishma, addressing a brahmin, asserts that his prior statement is beyond doubt and then reinforces its credibility by invoking truth and performing a formal oath-like act upon his own person.