Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
न ते शक््यमनाख्यातुमापद्धर्म तथाविधम् । त्वमेव नः कुले धर्मस्त्वं सत्यं त्वं परा गति:
na te śakyam anākhyātum āpaddharma tathāvidham | tvam eva naḥ kule dharmas tvaṃ satyaṃ tvaṃ parā gatiḥ ||
“Aku tidak mampu menahan diri daripada memberitahumu tentang dharma pada saat kesusahan seperti ini. Engkaulah satu-satunya jelmaan hidup kebenaran dalam keturunan kita; engkaulah kebenaran itu sendiri, dan engkaulah tempat berlindung tertinggi serta tujuan terakhir kami.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
In moments of crisis (āpaddharma), moral guidance must be spoken plainly to the rightful moral authority; the verse elevates dharma and satya as embodied in a person who serves as the community’s highest refuge.
The speaker insists that they cannot keep silent about a pressing matter of emergency ethics and addresses the listener with reverence, declaring them the very dharma and truth of the family and the ultimate refuge.