Shloka 6

Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः

Devanagari script

तादृशो बध्यते बालो यत्र सत्यमनिष्ठितम्‌ सत्यानते विनिश्चित्य ततो भवति धर्मवित्‌,जिसमें सत्य स्थिर न हो, ऐसा मूर्ख मनुष्य ही मारा जाता है। सत्य और असत्यका निर्णय करके सत्यका पालन करनेवाला पुरुष ही धर्मज्ञ माना जाता है

Transliteration

tādṛśo badhyate bālo yatra satyam aniṣṭhitam | satyānṛte viniścitya tato bhavati dharmavit ||

Translation

ఎక్కడ సత్యం స్థిరంగా నిలవదో, అక్కడ అలాంటి మూర్ఖుడు నాశనమవుతాడు. సత్యం-అసత్యం నిర్ణయించి, ఆపై సత్యాన్నే ఆచరించేవాడే ధర్మజ్ఞుడని చెప్పబడతాడు.

Word by Word

तादृशःsuch (a one)

बध्यतेis bound / is punished

बालःa fool / childish person

यत्रwhere

सत्यम्truth

अनिष्ठितम्not established / not firmly set

सत्यtruth

अनृतेin untruth / in falsehood

विनिश्चित्यhaving ascertained / having decided

ततःthereupon / then

भवतिbecomes / is

धर्मवित्knower of dharma

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma requires discernment: one must judge truth versus falsehood and then steadfastly follow truth; lacking a foundation in truth leads to ruin for the undiscerning.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira, emphasizing truth as the stabilizing basis of righteous life and warning of the consequences when truth is not upheld.