Shloka 19
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
प्राणात्यये विवाहे च वक्तव्यमनृतं भवेत्
prāṇātyaye vivāhe ca vaktavyam anṛtaṃ bhavet
ભીષ્મ બોલ્યા—પ્રાણ જોખમમાં હોય ત્યારે અને લગ્નના વિષયમાં પણ, ક્યારેક અસત્ય બોલવું યોગ્ય બની શકે છે.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma states an ethical exception: although truthfulness is a general dharma, in extreme situations—especially when a life must be saved, and in certain marriage-related contexts—speaking an untruth can be considered permissible.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is laying out nuanced rules of conduct, explaining that moral duties are sometimes context-sensitive and that rigid truth-telling may yield to higher aims like protecting life or preserving socially sanctioned marital outcomes.