Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 26
The Vena Episode
Sunīthā’s Lament, Counsel on Fault, and the Turn toward Māyā-vidyā
पांडुपुत्रो महाप्राज्ञो धर्मात्मा स युधिष्ठिरः । गुरोश्चैव वधार्थाय अनृतं स वदिष्यति
pāṃḍuputro mahāprājño dharmātmā sa yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | guroścaiva vadhārthāya anṛtaṃ sa vadiṣyati
Putera Pāṇḍu itu, Yudhiṣṭhira, amat bijaksana dan berjiwa dharma; namun demi terlaksananya kematian gurunya, dia akan mengucapkan kata yang tidak benar.
Unspecified (narrative voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पांडुपुत्रो→पाण्डुपुत्रः (ओ→अः); गुरोश्चैव→गुरोः+च+एव; वधार्थाय (वध+अर्थाय) समास; अन्यत्रापि इत्यादि न अत्र।
FAQs
It presents a dharma-conflict where a fundamentally truthful person (Yudhiṣṭhira) is said to speak an untruth to accomplish a grave strategic aim—causing the teacher’s death—raising the tension between truthfulness and perceived duty in war.
The verse itself only says “guru” (teacher). In Mahābhārata-linked retellings, this commonly alludes to Droṇa, the Pāṇḍavas’ martial teacher, whose fall is associated with a deceptive statement.
The verse underscores the paradox of moral life in complex circumstances: even the dhārmic and discerning can be drawn into morally compromised actions when higher stakes (like ending a destructive war) are believed to be involved.