Shloka 89

Devanagari script

विकृत उवाच न मे धारयते किज्चिद्‌ विरूपो5यं नराधिप । मिथ्या ब्रवीत्ययं हि त्वां सत्याभासं नराधिप,विकृतने कहा--नरेश्वर! इस विरूपपर मेरा कोई ऋण नहीं है। यह आपसे झूठ बोलता है। इसकी बातमें सत्यका आभासमात्र है

Transliteration

vikṛta uvāca | na me dhārayate kiñcid virūpo 'yaṃ narādhipa | mithyā bravīty ayaṃ hi tvāṃ satyābhāsaṃ narādhipa ||

Translation

వికృతుడు అన్నాడు—నరాధిపా! ఈ విరూపునిపై నాకు ఏ ఋణమూ లేదు. ఇతడు మీకు అబద్ధం చెబుతున్నాడు; నరాధిపా, ఇతని మాటల్లో సత్యం కేవలం ఆభాసంగా మాత్రమే ఉంది.

Word by Word

विकृतःVikṛta (name)

उवाचsaid

नnot

मेto me / of me

धारयतेis owed / is due (lit. is borne/held)

किञ्चित्anything

विरूपःdeformed/ugly (one)

अयम्this (person)

नराधिपO king (lord of men)

मिथ्याfalsely

ब्रवीतिspeaks

अयम्this (person)

हिindeed/for

त्वाम्you

सत्याभासम्a mere appearance of truth

नराधिपO king

Speaker

विकृत उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vikṛta

virūpa (a deformed person)

narādhipa (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that speech can mimic truth without being true (satyābhāsa). Ethical judgment requires discerning genuine truth from plausible falsehood, especially in matters of accusation or obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vikṛta addresses a king, denying any obligation or liability connected with the deformed person and asserting that the other party is lying—offering only an appearance of truth to mislead the ruler.