Shloka 18
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
स्वशरीरोपरोधेन धनमादातुमिच्छत: । सत्यसम्प्रतिपत्त्यर्थ यद् ब्रूयु: साक्षिण: क्वचित्
svaśarīroparodhenā dhanam ādātum icchataḥ | satyasampratipattyarthaṃ yad brūyuḥ sākṣiṇaḥ kvacit ||
ภีษมะกล่าวว่า—เมื่อผู้ใดประสงค์จะยึดทรัพย์ของผู้อื่นโดยใช้กายตนขวางกั้นไว้ เพื่อการสถาปนาความจริง ในกรณีเช่นนั้นพยานย่อมกล่าวถ้อยคำที่ควรกล่าวได้
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that witness testimony is justified and should be directed toward establishing truth, especially in situations where someone attempts to wrongfully seize property through coercive obstruction; the ethical priority is satya (truth) as the basis of justice.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Bhīṣma is outlining principles of adjudication and social order, describing a scenario of coercion over wealth and indicating how witnesses should speak so that the truth of the matter is properly determined.