Shloka 26
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् । अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते
aśvamedhasahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | aśvamedhasahasrād dhi satyam eva viśiṣyate ||
ビーシュマは言った。「もし一方の皿にアシュヴァメーダ（Aśvamedha）供犠を千回分、他方の皿に真実を置いて天秤にかけるなら、真実ただそれのみが、千のアシュヴァメーダにも勝って重い。」この偈は、倫理的な廉直と真実の実践が、いかなる壮大な祭式の功徳にも勝り、儀礼の功よりも道徳のダルマを上位に置くことを示す。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) is presented as a higher form of dharma than even the most prestigious and merit-producing rituals; moral integrity outweighs ceremonial accomplishment.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he uses a vivid comparison—placing a thousand Aśvamedhas and Truth on a scale—to emphasize to the listener that ethical truth is the supreme value.