Shloka 33
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
Devanagari script
सत्यवन्तः स्वर्गलोके मोदन्ते भरतर्षभ । दम: सत्यफलावाप्तिरुक्ता सर्वात्मना मया
Transliteration
satyavantaḥ svargaloke modante bharatarṣabha | damaḥ satyaphalāvāptir uktā sarvātmanā mayā ||
Translation
ビーシュマは言った。「バーラタ族の雄牛よ、真実を語る者は天界において歓喜する。だが、真実の果報をまことに得させる手段として説かれるのは、自制—ダマ（dama）、すなわち諸根の制御—である。これは我が全心をもって語った言葉だ。」
Word by Word
{'satyavantaḥ''truthful people
{'satyavantaḥ':
those endowed with truthfulness', 'svargaloke''in Svarga
those endowed with truthfulness', 'svargaloke':
in the heavenly realm', 'modante''rejoice
in the heavenly realm', 'modante':
enjoy', 'bharatarṣabha''O bull of the Bharatas
enjoy', 'bharatarṣabha':
an honorific address to a Bharata prince (Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'damaḥ''self-control
an honorific address to a Bharata prince (Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'damaḥ':
restraint of the senses and mind', 'satya-phala''the fruit/result of truthfulness', 'avāptiḥ': 'attainment
restraint of the senses and mind', 'satya-phala':
obtaining', 'uktā''is said
obtaining', 'uktā':
is declared', 'sarvātmanā''with one’s whole self
is declared', 'sarvātmanā':
wholeheartedly', 'mayā''by me'}
wholeheartedly', 'mayā':
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaB
Bharatarṣabha (Yudhiṣṭhira)S
Svargaloka (Svarga)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness leads to heavenly joy, but its full fruit is secured through dama—disciplined restraint of the senses; ethical speech must be supported by inner self-mastery.
In Bhishma’s dharma-instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva, he emphasizes that virtues are interconnected: speaking truth is praised, yet it becomes effective and fruitful when grounded in self-control.