Shloka 22

Adhyaya 60: Self-Assertion, Daiva, and the Rhetoric of Inevitability (उद्योग पर्व)

Devanagari script

भविष्यतीदमिति वा यद्‌ ब्रवीमि परंतप । नान्यथा भूतपूर्व च सत्यवागिति मां विदु:

Transliteration

bhaviṣyatīdam iti vā yad bravīmi parantapa | nānyathā bhūtapūrvaṃ ca satyavāg iti māṃ viduḥ ||

Translation

शत्रुओं को संताप देनेवाले महाराज! मैं जो बात मुँह से कह देता हूँ कि यह इसी प्रकार होगा, मेरा वह कथन पहले कभी भी मिथ्या नहीं हुआ है; इसीलिये लोग मुझे सत्यवादी मानते हैं।

Word by Word

• {'bhaviṣyati': 'will happen

• will come to pass', 'idam': 'this (matter/event)', 'iti': 'thus

• as (a quoted assertion)', 'vā': 'or

• alternatively (a discourse particle)', 'yat': 'that which

• what', 'bravīmi': 'I say

• I declare', 'parantapa': 'O scorcher of enemies (epithet of a king/hero)', 'na anyathā': 'not otherwise

• not in a different way', 'bhūtapūrvam': 'formerly

• previously', 'ca': 'and

• also', 'satyavāk': 'truth-speaking

• one whose words are true', 'iti māṃ viduḥ': 'thus they know me

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• parantapa (epithet addressed to a king/hero)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds satya (truthfulness) as an ethical foundation: a person whose words consistently align with reality gains moral authority and trust. Speech is presented as a form of responsibility—claims about the future or outcomes must be grounded in unwavering truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana, addressing a ‘parantapa’ (a mighty ruler/hero), asserts the reliability of his declarations: whenever he states that something will happen, it has never proven false in the past. This establishes his credibility within the unfolding counsel and high-stakes decisions of the Udyoga Parva.