Shloka 2
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
सत्यं कि लक्षणं राजन् कथं वा तदवाप्यते । सत्यं प्राप्प भवेत् कि च कथं चैव तदुच्यताम्
satyaṁ ki lakṣaṇaṁ rājan kathaṁ vā tad avāpyate | satyaṁ prāpya bhavet kiṁ ca kathaṁ caiva tad ucyatām ||
Юдхиштхира сказал: «О царь, каков отличительный признак истины? Каким образом она достигается? Если держаться истины, какая польза из этого рождается — и каким образом это происходит? Прошу, объясни мне.»
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: truth (satya) is not treated as a mere statement of facts, but as a moral principle with (1) a recognizable defining mark, (2) a practical means of attainment, and (3) concrete fruits that follow from living by it.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira—seeking clarity on righteous conduct—addresses a kingly authority and asks for a systematic explanation of satya: its characteristics, how one comes to it, and what results from its observance.