Shloka 17

ययाति–शक्रसंवादः

Speech-Ethics and Forbearance in the Celestial Court

Devanagari script

पृष्टं तु साक्ष्ये प्रवदन्तमन्य था वदन्ति मिथ्या पतितं नरेन्द्र । एकार्थतायां तु समाहितायां मिथ्या वदन्तं त्वनृतं हिनस्ति,महाराज! किसी निर्दोष प्राणीका प्राण बचानेके लिये गवाही देते समय किसीके पूछनेपर अन्यथा (असत्य) भाषण करनेवालेको यदि कोई पतित कहता है तो उसका कथन मिथ्या है। परंतु जहाँ अपने और दूसरे दोनोंके ही प्राण बचानेका प्रसंग उपस्थित हो, वहाँ केवल अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये मिथ्या बोलनेवालेका असत्यभाषण उसका नाश कर देता है

Transliteration

pṛṣṭaṃ tu sākṣye pravadantam anyathā vadanti mithyā patitaṃ narendra | ekārthatāyāṃ tu samāhitāyāṃ mithyā vadantaṃ tv anṛtaṃ hinasti ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó rei, se, ao ser interrogado enquanto presta testemunho, alguém fala de modo diverso do fato para salvar a vida de um ser inocente, e alguém o chama de ‘caído’ (patita), essa acusação é que é falsa. Mas quando a questão se estreita a um único fim egoísta—quando ambas as vidas estão em risco e se mente apenas para salvar a si mesmo—então essa falsidade, essa inverdade, torna-se a causa da sua ruína.”

Word by Word

पृष्टम्asked (questioned)

तुbut/indeed

साक्ष्येin testimony / while giving evidence

प्रवदन्तम्speaking / stating

अन्यथाotherwise; falsely

वदन्तिthey say / call

मिथ्याfalsely; wrongly

पतितम्fallen; sinful; outcaste

नरेन्द्रO king (lord of men)

एकार्थतायाम्in the case of a single (self-serving) purpose

तुbut/however

समाहितायाम्when it is fixed/settled; when the situation is set

मिथ्याfalsely

वदन्तम्one who speaks

तुindeed

अनृतम्falsehood; untruth

हिनस्तिdestroys; harms

महाराजO great king

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Narendra (the king, i.e., Janamejaya as addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthfulness is a central dharma, yet the text recognizes an ethical exception: speaking contrary to fact in testimony to save an innocent life is not to be condemned as ‘falling.’ However, lying from narrow self-interest—especially when choosing one’s own safety at the cost of another—becomes destructive and morally ruinous.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana instructs the king on the ethics of witness-bearing (sākṣya). He distinguishes between a compassionate, life-saving deviation from literal truth and a self-centered lie, warning that the latter ‘anṛta’ leads to the speaker’s downfall.