Shloka 12

Devanagari script

सत्यं हि धर्ममास्थाय दुराधर्षतमा मता: । न मात्रामनुरुध्यन्ते न धर्मच्छलमन्ततः,वे सत्यधर्मका आश्रय लेकर ही अत्यन्त दुर्धर्ष माने जाते थे। लेशमात्र भी पाप नहीं करते थे और प्राणान्तका अवसर उपस्थित होनेपर भी धर्मके विषयमें छलसे काम नहीं लेते थे

Transliteration

satyaṁ hi dharmam āsthāya durādharṣatamā matāḥ | na mātrām anurudhyante na dharmacchalam antataḥ ||

Translation

Pois, firmados na verdade como seu próprio dharma, eram tidos por inteiramente inatacáveis. Não cediam nem pela menor medida, e mesmo no extremo derradeiro não recorriam ao engano em nome do dharma.

Word by Word

सत्यम्truth

हिindeed/for

धर्मम्dharma, righteousness

आस्थायhaving resorted to / having adopted

दुराधर्षतमाःmost unassailable/most formidable

मताःconsidered/deemed

नnot

मात्राम्a measure; even a little

अनुरुध्यन्तेthey comply/yield (to)

नnot

धर्मच्छलम्deceit/pretext in the name of dharma

अन्ततःin the end; at the last moment

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True strength is moral: those who take truth as their dharma become ‘unassailable’ because they refuse compromise and reject any deceit that masquerades as righteousness, even under extreme pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kapila is describing the character of exemplary practitioners of dharma: they are known for unwavering adherence to truth, do not bend even slightly, and do not employ ‘dharma-pretexts’ (dharmacchala) to justify wrongdoing, even at the point of death.