Shloka 3
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
किंस्वित् सत्यं किमनृतं किंस्विद् धर्म्य सनातनम् । कस्मिन् काले वदेत् सत्यं कस्मिन् कालेडनृतं वदेत्,क्या सत्य है और क्या झूठ? तथा कौन-सा कार्य सनातन धर्मके अनुकूल है? किस समय सत्य बोलना चाहिये और किस समय झूठ?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kiṃsvit satyaṃ kim anṛtaṃ kiṃsvid dharmyaṃ sanātanam | kasmin kāle vadet satyaṃ kasmin kāle 'nṛtaṃ vadet |
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا— حقیقت میں سچ کیا ہے اور جھوٹ کیا ہے؟ اور کون سا طرزِ عمل سناتن دھرم کے مطابق ہے؟ کس وقت سچ بولنا چاہیے اور کس وقت خلافِ واقعہ بات کہنا چاہیے؟
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central dharma-question: truthfulness is a high virtue, yet ethical life requires discernment about context—what counts as ‘truth’ and when speech (even if factually untrue) might be weighed against higher duties such as preventing harm and upholding dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira—seeking guidance after the war—asks an elder authority to clarify the nature of truth, falsehood, and eternal dharma, and to explain the circumstances in which one should speak truth or, exceptionally, speak untruth.