Shloka 5
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
सत्य॑ं धर्मस्तपो योग: सत्यं ब्रह्म सनातनम् । सत्यं यज्ञ: पर: प्रोक्त: सर्व सत्ये प्रतेष्ठितम्
bhīṣma uvāca | satyaṁ dharmas tapo yogaḥ satyaṁ brahma sanātanam | satyaṁ yajñaḥ paraḥ proktaḥ sarvaṁ satye pratiṣṭhitam ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Ang katotohanan mismo ang dharma, ang tapas (pagpapakasakit/ascetismo), at ang yoga; ang katotohanan ang walang-hanggang Brahman. Ang katotohanan ang ipinahayag na pinakamataas na yajña (handog), at ang lahat ng bagay ay nakatatag sa katotohanan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Satya (truth) is presented as the essence of all major religious and spiritual ideals—dharma (righteous order), tapas (austerity), and yoga (discipline). It is also identified with the eternal Brahman, and called the supreme yajña, implying that truthful living is the highest sacred offering and the basis on which all values and realities rest.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he emphasizes truthfulness as the foundational principle that sustains moral life, spiritual practice, and the cosmic order.