Mahabharata 1.94.25 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 94, Shloka 25

Śāṃtanu’s Ideal Rule; Devavrata’s Return; The Satyavatī Marriage Condition and Bhīṣma’s Vow (आदि पर्व, अध्याय ९४)

Devanagari script

सत्येन वै द्यौश्व वसुन्धरा च तथैवाग्निज्वलते मानुषेषु । न मे वृथा व्याहृतमेव वाक्‍्यं सत्यं हि सन्त: प्रतिपूजयन्ति

Transliteration

satyena vai dyauś ca vasundharā ca tathaivāgnir jvalate mānuṣeṣu | na me vṛthā vyāhṛtam eva vākyaṃ satyaṃ hi santaḥ pratipūjayanti ||

Translation

உண்மையாலேயே வானமும் பூமியும் நிலைத்திருக்கின்றன; உண்மையாலேயே மனித உலகில் அக்கினி எரிகிறது. என் வாயிலிருந்து ஒருபோதும் வீண்சொல் வெளிவந்ததில்லை; ஏனெனில் நல்லோர் எப்போதும் உண்மையையே போற்றுவர்.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'satyena', 'definition': 'by truth

• through truth (instrumental of satya)'}, {'term': 'dyauḥ', 'definition': 'the sky, heaven'}, {'term': 'vasundharā', 'definition': 'the earth (lit. ‘bearer of wealth’)'}, {'term': 'agniḥ', 'definition': 'fire

• the sacred fire'}, {'term': 'jvalate', 'definition': 'blazes, burns, shines forth'}, {'term': 'mānuṣeṣu', 'definition': 'among humans

• in the human world'}, {'term': 'vṛthā', 'definition': 'in vain, fruitlessly, falsely'}, {'term': 'vyāhṛtam', 'definition': 'uttered, spoken forth'}, {'term': 'vākyaṃ', 'definition': 'speech, statement, word'}, {'term': 'santaḥ', 'definition': 'the good, the virtuous, the righteous'}, {'term': 'pratipūjayanti', 'definition': 'honor, revere, duly respect'}]

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• dyauḥ (sky/heaven)
• vasundharā (earth)
• agni (fire)
• mānuṣa-loka (human world)
• santaḥ (the virtuous)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truth (satya) is presented as a sustaining power of the cosmos and society: it upholds heaven and earth and even enables the proper functioning of sacred fire among humans. The verse also asserts that the righteous revere truth, making truthful speech the foundation of moral credibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, emphasizes the authority of truthful speech by declaring that his words are not spoken in vain. This functions as an ethical reinforcement within the storytelling, grounding the narrative in the Mahābhārata’s ideal that satya is central to dharma and respected by the virtuous.