Mahabharata 11.13.12 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 12
Gāndhārī’s Grief, Vyāsa’s Pacification, and the Ethics of Retaliation (गान्धारी-शोकः शमोपदेशश्च)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्त: स कृष्णेन सर्व सत्यं जनाधिप । उवाच देवकीपुत्रं धृतराष्ट्री महीपति:
vaiśampāyana uvāca evam uktaḥ sa kṛṣṇena sarvaṃ satyaṃ janādhipa | uvāca devakīputraṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrī mahīpatiḥ ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்—கிருஷ்ணன் இவ்வாறு முழுவதும் உண்மையையே உரைத்தபின், மனிதர்களின் தலைவனே, அந்த மன்னன் திருதராஷ்டிரன் தேவகியின் புதல்வனுக்கு மறுமொழி கூறினான்.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satya (truthfulness) as the ethical foundation of counsel and response: when guidance is fully truthful, a ruler is morally compelled to answer and act with accountability, especially amid the sorrow and reckoning after war.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that after Kṛṣṇa has spoken truthfully, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra then speaks to Kṛṣṇa (Devakī’s son), marking a transition to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s reply within the Stree Parva context.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.