Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
सत्यके प्रभावसे सूर्य तपते हैं, सत्यसे अग्नि प्रजजलित होती है और सत्यसे ही वायुका सर्वत्र संचार होता है; क्योंकि सब कुछ सत्यपर ही टिका हुआ है ।।
satyena prabhavena sūryas tapate, satyena agniḥ prajvalito bhavati, satyena ca vāyor sarvatrābhisañcāraḥ; yataḥ sarvaṃ satye pratiṣṭhitam. satyena devāḥ prīyante pitaro brāhmaṇās tathā. satyam āhuḥ paro dharmas tasmāt satyaṃ na laṅghayet.
Bhīṣma disse: “Pelo poder da verdade o sol aquece; pela verdade o fogo flameja; e pela verdade o vento se move por toda parte—pois tudo está estabelecido sobre a verdade. Pela verdade os deuses se comprazem, e assim também os ancestrais e os brāhmaṇas. A verdade é declarada o dharma supremo; portanto, nunca se deve transgredir a verdade.”
भीष्म उवाच
Truth (satya) is presented as the supreme dharma and the very foundation of cosmic functioning; therefore one should not violate truth, since it sustains the world and pleases gods, ancestors, and brāhmaṇas.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he emphasizes truthfulness by linking natural forces (sun, fire, wind) and religious stakeholders (devas, pitṛs, brāhmaṇas) to the sustaining power of satya.