Shloka 48
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
चलेद्धि हिमवाञ्छैलो मेदिनी शतधा फलेत् । द्यौ: पतेच्च सनक्षत्रा न मे मोघं वचो भवेत्
caled dhi himavāñ śailo medinī śatadhā phalet | dyauḥ patec ca sanakṣatrā na me moghaṃ vaco bhavet ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ainda que o Himālaya se deslocasse do seu lugar, ainda que a terra se partisse em cem fragmentos, e ainda que o céu, com suas estrelas, caísse—minha palavra não pode revelar-se vã.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores unwavering commitment to truth: a righteous speaker’s word is presented as more certain than even the stability of cosmic and natural order. It elevates satya (truthfulness) as a dharmic anchor—speech should be so reliable that it is imagined as unbreakable even if the universe itself collapses.
Vaiśampāyana, as the narrator, uses a hyperbolic cosmic comparison—Himālaya moving, earth splitting, sky falling with stars—to stress the absolute certainty and non-falsity of the statement being affirmed in the surrounding episode of Udyoga Parva, where grave vows, assurances, and consequential decisions are being framed.