Shloka 4
Udyoga Parva 21 — Bhīṣma’s Conciliatory Counsel, Karṇa’s Rebuttal, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra Sends Sañjaya (भीष्म-कर्ण-विवादः; संजय-प्रेषणम्)
भवता सत्यमुक्तं तु सर्वमेतन्न संशय: । अतितीक्षणं तु ते वाक्यं ब्राह्मण्यादिति मे मति:,“आपने जितनी बातें कही हैं, वे सब सत्य है; इसमें संशय नहीं है। परंतु आपकी बातें बड़ी तीखी हैं। यह तीक्ष्णता ब्राह्मण-स्वभावके कारण ही है, ऐसा मुझे प्रतीत होता है
bhavatā satyam uktaṃ tu sarvam etan na saṃśayaḥ | atitīkṣṇaṃ tu te vākyaṃ brāhmaṇyād iti me matiḥ ||
भवता सत्यमुक्तं तु सर्वमेतन्न संशयः । अतितीक्ष्णं तु ते वाक्यं ब्राह्मण्यादिति मे मतिः ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is affirmed, but ethical speech requires more than truth alone: even true words can be overly harsh. The verse highlights the dharmic tension between speaking truth and speaking it with appropriate restraint and tone.
Vaiśampāyana comments on a prior speaker’s statement: he endorses its factual truth without doubt, yet critiques its excessive sharpness, attributing that cutting directness to the speaker’s Brahmin disposition.