Shloka 6
मृषा वादो मृषा दानं विकल्प: परिभाषणम् | निन्दा स्तुति: प्रशंसा च प्रस्ताव: पारधर्षणम्
mṛṣā vādo mṛṣā dānaṃ vikalpaḥ paribhāṣaṇam | nindā stutiḥ praśaṃsā ca prastāvaḥ pāradharṣaṇam ||
Vāyu-deva said: “False speech, and even charity given with falsity; captious disputation and wrangling talk; blame, flattery, and praise; and the raising of topics meant to harass or browbeat another—these are to be recognized as forms of wrongdoing that corrode dharma and right conduct.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that untruth and manipulative speech—lying, hypocritical giving, sophistry, abusive talk, disparagement, flattery, and even strategic ‘topic-raising’ meant to dominate—are ethically corrosive and undermine dharma.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a moral instructor, listing specific verbal and social behaviors that constitute harmful conduct, thereby guiding the listener toward truthful, restrained, and non-oppressive interaction.