Shloka 60
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
गुर्वर्थमभयार्थ वा वर्जयित्वा युधिष्ठिर । येडनृतं कथयन्ति सम ते वै निरयगामिन:
gurvartham abhayārthaṃ vā varjayitvā yudhiṣṭhira | ye 'nṛtaṃ kathayanti samā te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, kecuali apabila ketidakbenaran diucapkan demi kebaikan guru atau untuk membebaskan orang lain daripada ketakutan, mereka yang berdusta dalam keadaan lain sesungguhnya ditakdirkan ke neraka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is the norm in dharma, and falsehood generally leads to grave moral consequence; however, Bhīṣma acknowledges narrow exceptions—speaking untruth to benefit the guru or to protect someone from fear—while condemning other lies as hell-leading.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he addresses the ethics of speech, distinguishing rare protective or duty-based exceptions from ordinary deceit, and warns of the karmic result of habitual or self-serving lying.