Shloka 48
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
अनुतोक्तं प्रजां हन्यात् तत: पापमवाप्नुयाम् तस्माद् धर्माभिरक्षार्थ नानृतं वक्तुमुत्सहे
anutoktaṃ prajāṃ hanyāt tataḥ pāpam avāpnuyām tasmād dharmābhirakṣārtha nānṛtaṃ vaktum utsahe
Sañjaya berkata: “Jika aku mengucapkan apa yang tidak patut diucapkan, hal itu boleh membawa kebinasaan kepada rakyat, dan aku akan menanggung dosa kerananya. Maka, demi memelihara dharma, aku tidak sanggup menuturkan kepalsuan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech has moral consequences: falsehood (anṛta) and irresponsible disclosure can harm society (prajā) and generate sin (pāpa). Therefore one should restrain speech and uphold truth for the protection of dharma.
Sañjaya, speaking in the war narrative, expresses reluctance to utter untruth or harmful words. He frames his restraint as a duty to protect dharma and to avoid causing harm to the people and incurring moral blame.