Shloka 22

Adhyaya 60: Self-Assertion, Daiva, and the Rhetoric of Inevitability (उद्योग पर्व)

Devanagari script

भविष्यतीदमिति वा यद्‌ ब्रवीमि परंतप । नान्यथा भूतपूर्व च सत्यवागिति मां विदु:,'शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले महाराज! मैं जो बात मुँहसे कह देता हूँ कि यह इसी प्रकार होगा, मेरा वह कथन पहले कभी भी मिथ्या नहीं हुआ है। इसीलिये लोग मुझे सत्यवादी मानते हैं

Transliteration

bhaviṣyatīdam iti vā yad bravīmi parantapa | nānyathā bhūtapūrvaṃ ca satyavāg iti māṃ viduḥ ||

Translation

「敵を焦がす王よ。わたしが『これは必ずこのとおりになる』と言い放てば、過去において一度として別の結果になったことはない。ゆえに人々は、わたしを真実を語る者と知るのだ。」

Word by Word

• {'bhaviṣyati': 'will happen

• will come to pass', 'idam': 'this (matter/event)', 'iti': 'thus

• as (a quoted assertion)', 'vā': 'or

• alternatively (a discourse particle)', 'yat': 'that which

• what', 'bravīmi': 'I say

• I declare', 'parantapa': 'O scorcher of enemies (epithet of a king/hero)', 'na anyathā': 'not otherwise

• not in a different way', 'bhūtapūrvam': 'formerly

• previously', 'ca': 'and

• also', 'satyavāk': 'truth-speaking

• one whose words are true', 'iti māṃ viduḥ': 'thus they know me

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• parantapa (epithet addressed to a king/hero)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds satya (truthfulness) as an ethical foundation: a person whose words consistently align with reality gains moral authority and trust. Speech is presented as a form of responsibility—claims about the future or outcomes must be grounded in unwavering truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana, addressing a ‘parantapa’ (a mighty ruler/hero), asserts the reliability of his declarations: whenever he states that something will happen, it has never proven false in the past. This establishes his credibility within the unfolding counsel and high-stakes decisions of the Udyoga Parva.