Shloka 74
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
कश्यप उवाच जानन्नविन्वुवन् प्रश्नान् कामात् क्रोधाद् भयात् तथा | सहस्र॑ वारुणान् पाशानात्मनि प्रतिमुज्चति,कश्यपजीने कहा--जो जानते हुए भी काम, क्रोध तथा भयसे प्रश्नोंका उत्तर नहीं देता, वह अपने ऊपर वरुणदेवताके सहस्रों पाश डाल लेता है
kaśyapa uvāca: jānann avinvuvañ praśnān kāmāt krodhād bhayāt tathā | sahasraṁ vāruṇān pāśān ātmani pratimuñcati ||
ਕਸ਼੍ਯਪ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਵੀ ਕਾਮ, ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਜਾਂ ਭੈ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਉੱਤਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿੰਦਾ, ਉਹ ਆਪਣੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਵਰੁਣਦੇਵ ਦੇ ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਪਾਸੇ ਪਾ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
If one knows the answer yet withholds it due to desire, anger, or fear, that silence is ethically culpable. The verse frames such motivated non-disclosure as self-imposed bondage—symbolized by Varuṇa’s nooses—implying inner constraint, loss of moral freedom, and accountability for suppressing truth.
Kaśyapa delivers a moral admonition about responding truthfully when questioned. He warns that refusing to answer despite knowing—especially when driven by passions or fear—creates a binding consequence for the speaker himself, expressed through the imagery of Varuṇa’s punitive bonds.