Shloka 106
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स पौष्यं पुनरुवाच न युक्त भवताहमनृतेनोपचरितुं न हि तेडन्तःपुरे क्षत्रिया सन्निहिता नैनां पश्यामि,तब वे पुनः राजा पौष्यके पास आकर बोले--'राजन्! आप मुझे संतुष्ट करनेके लिये झूठी बात कहकर मेरे साथ छल करें, यह आपको शोभा नहीं देता है। आपके अन्तःपुरमें क्षत्राणी नहीं हैं, क्योंकि वहाँ वे मुझे नहीं दिखायी देती हैं"
sa pauṣyaṁ punar uvāca na yuktaṁ bhavatāham anṛtenopacaritum na hi teḍantaḥpure kṣatriyā sannihitā naināṁ paśyāmi
Rāma again addressed King Pauṣya: “It is not proper for you to deal with me by means of falsehood in order to placate me. In your inner apartments there is no kṣatriya lady present; I do not see her there.” The statement underscores that even in a tense request, deception is unbecoming of a king, and truthfulness is demanded as a matter of royal dharma.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should not resort to falsehood even to appease or manage a difficult situation; truthfulness and straightforward conduct are presented as essential to royal dharma.
Rāma confronts King Pauṣya, rejecting any attempt at deception and asserting that the claimed kṣatriya lady is not actually present in the inner apartments, since he does not see her.