Shloka 103
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते,एक हजार अश्वमेध यज्ञ एक ओर तथा सत्यभाषणका पुण्य दूसरी ओर यदि तराजूपर रखा जाय, तो हजार अश्वमेध यज्ञोंकी अपेक्षा सत्यका पलड़ा ही भारी होता है
aśvamedhasahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrāddhi satyam eva viśiṣyate ||
Duṣyanta said: “If a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices are placed on one side of a balance and truthfulness on the other, truth alone outweighs even a thousand Aśvamedhas.” The verse elevates ethical integrity—speaking and upholding truth—as a higher dharmic merit than even the most prestigious royal rituals.
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) is presented as a supreme dharmic virtue whose merit surpasses even the immense religious merit of performing a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices; moral integrity is valued above grand ritual achievement.
Duṣyanta delivers a moral valuation: he frames a comparison as if on a weighing scale, contrasting the celebrated royal rite of Aśvamedha with the virtue of truth, and declares that truth outweighs the ritual even in vast quantity.