Shloka 19
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
प्राणात्यये विवाहे च वक्तव्यमनृतं भवेत्
prāṇātyaye vivāhe ca vaktavyam anṛtaṃ bhavet
ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਜਦੋਂ ਪ੍ਰਾਣਾਂ ਦਾ ਖ਼ਤਰਾ ਹੋਵੇ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਆਹ ਦੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ, ਕਦੇ ਕਦੇ ਅਸੱਤ ਬੋਲਣਾ ਠੀਕ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma states an ethical exception: although truthfulness is a general dharma, in extreme situations—especially when a life must be saved, and in certain marriage-related contexts—speaking an untruth can be considered permissible.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is laying out nuanced rules of conduct, explaining that moral duties are sometimes context-sensitive and that rigid truth-telling may yield to higher aims like protecting life or preserving socially sanctioned marital outcomes.