Shloka 19
Brahmāstra-pratisaṃhāraḥ, Parīkṣit-nāmakaraṇam, Nagarotsava-varṇanam
Withdrawal of the Brahmāstra; Naming of Parīkṣit; Description of Civic Festivities
नोक्तपूर्व मया मिथ्या स्वैरेष्वपि कदाचन । न च युद्धात् परावृत्तस्तथा संजीवतामयम्
noktapūrvaṃ mayā mithyā svaireṣv api kadācana | na ca yuddhāt parāvṛttas tathā saṃjīvatām ayam ||
“Tak pernah sebelumnya aku mengucapkan dusta—bahkan dalam permainan yang ringan sekalipun. Dan tak pernah pula aku berpaling mundur dari medan perang. Dengan daya kebenaran ini, semoga anak Abhimanyu ini hidup kembali.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) and steadfast courage are presented as moral forces with real efficacy. The speaker invokes a satyakriyā—an act of truth—asserting lifelong integrity (never lying, never retreating) so that the merit and power of that truth may protect life and restore what is threatened.
In the Ashvamedhika Parva context, a crisis surrounds Abhimanyu’s child (the Pandava heir). A solemn declaration is made: the speaker claims he has never lied, even in play, and has never turned away from battle; on the strength of that truth, he prays that the child may live (be revived/protected).