Shloka 18
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 104 — कर्णोत्पत्ति, दानधर्म, वैकर्तन-नामकरण
Karna’s Birth, Gift-Ethic, and the Name Vaikartana
विक्रमं वृत्रहा जह्ाद् धर्म जह्याच्च धर्मराट् । न त्वहं सत्यमुत्स्रष्ठं व्यवसेयं कथंचन,“इन्द्र पराक्रमको छोड़ दें और धर्मराज धर्मकी उपेक्षा कर दें; परंतु मैं किसी प्रकार सत्यको छोड़नेका विचार भी नहीं कर सकता
vikramaṃ vṛtrahā jahyād dharmaṃ jahyācca dharmarāṭ | na tvahaṃ satyam utsraṣṭuṃ vyavaseyaṃ kathaṃcana ||
แม้อินทรา ผู้พิฆาตวฤตระ จะละทิ้งเดชานุภาพของตน แม้ราชาแห่งธรรมจะละทิ้งธรรมเสียเอง—แต่เรามิอาจตั้งใจละทิ้งสัจจะได้ไม่ว่าในกรณีใด
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates satya (truthfulness) as a non-negotiable ethical commitment: even if exemplary figures were imagined to abandon their defining virtues, the speaker insists that truth must not be relinquished under any circumstances.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, a speaker expresses unwavering determination to adhere to truth, using hyperbolic comparisons—Indra giving up valor and the ‘king of dharma’ giving up dharma—to stress that abandoning satya is unthinkable.