Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 18
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 115 — Mādri’s request; invocation of the Aśvins; birth and naming of the Pāṇḍavas
वितथं नोक्तपूर्व मे स्वैरेष्वपि कुतो5न्यथा । घृतपूर्ण कुण्डशतं क्षिप्रमेव विधीयताम्
vitathaṁ noktapūrvaṁ me svair eṣv api kuto ’nyathā | ghṛtapūrṇaṁ kuṇḍaśataṁ kṣipram eva vidhīyatām |
Вьяса сказал: «Никогда прежде я не говорил лжи — даже в минуту шутки. Как же тогда может оказаться ложным моё слово, сказанное в иных случаях, как при даровании дара? Потому приготовьте тотчас сто сосудов и скорее наполните их топлёным маслом (гхи).»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores satya (truthfulness) as a foundational ethical principle: a sage’s word is presented as intrinsically reliable, so a statement made in serious contexts (like a boon) must be treated as binding and true.
Vyāsa asserts that he has never lied, even in jest, and therefore his present declaration cannot be false. He then issues a practical instruction: to promptly prepare one hundred vessels and fill them with ghee, indicating an immediate ritual or consequential arrangement tied to his pronouncement.
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