Shloka 25
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
बलात् सत्यमृते त्वेकं सत्ये हामृतमाश्रितम् । एकमात्र सत्यके बिना कोई भी मनुष्य कभी सामने आती हुई मृत्युकी सेनाको बलपूर्वक नहीं दबा सकता (अत: असत्यको त्यागकर सत्यका ही आश्रय लेना चाहिये)। क्योंकि सत्यमें ही अमृत (ब्रह्म) प्रतिष्ठित है ।। मृत्योर्वा गृहमेतद् वै या ग्रामे वसतो रति:
balāt satyamṛte tv ekaṃ satye hāmṛtam āśritam | ekamātraṃ satyake vinā ko 'pi manuṣyaḥ kadācit samukham āyāntīṃ mṛtyusenāṃ balapūrvakaṃ na nigrahītuṃ śaknoti (ataḥ asatyam utsṛjya satyam evāśrayaṇīyam) | yataḥ satye eva amṛtaṃ (brahma) pratiṣṭhitam || mṛtyor vā gṛham etad vai yā grāme vasato ratiḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Selain kebenaran semata-mata, tiada seorang pun mampu menahan dengan kekerasan bala tentera Maut yang mara menghampirinya; maka hendaklah ditinggalkan dusta dan berlindung pada kebenaran. Kerana dalam kebenaran itu sendiri tertegak hakikat yang tidak mati—Brahman. Sesungguhnya, kesenangan tinggal di desa, terikat pada keterlekatan duniawi, seolah-olah itulah rumah Maut.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truth is the only reliable refuge against the inevitability of death; falsehood cannot protect. Truth is said to be the ground where the deathless reality (amṛta/Brahman) is established, so ethical truthfulness is linked to spiritual liberation.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes that no human can overpower death by strength; instead one should adhere to satya, and he warns that attachment to settled worldly pleasures is like residing in Death’s own house.