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,राजन! सत्यका लक्षण क्या है? उसकी प्राप्ति कैसे होती है? सत्यका पालन करनेसे क्या लाभ होता है? और कैसे होता है? यह बताइये
satyaṁ ki lakṣaṇaṁ rājan kathaṁ vā tad avāpyate | satyaṁ prāpya bhavet kiṁ ca kathaṁ caiva tad ucyatām ||
सत्यं किं लक्षणं राजन् कथं वा तदवाप्यते। सत्यं प्राप्तं भवेत्किं च कथं चैव तदुच्यताम्॥
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.