Shloka 35
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
भवेत् सत्यमवक्तव्यं न वक्तव्यमनुछितम् । सत्यानृते विनिश्चित्य ततो भवति धर्मवित्
bhavet satyam avaktavyaṃ na vaktavyam anucitam | satyānṛte viniścitya tato bhavati dharmavit ||
室利·奎师那说道：“有时某事在事实层面虽为真，却不应出口；不合宜之言亦不可吐露。应先审慎辨别真实与虚妄，然后遵循那条在结果上护持真实之道。能如此分别而行者，方为真正通晓达摩之人。”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness is not merely stating facts; speech must be guided by dharma. A statement may be factually true yet harmful or improper to utter. One should judge truth and untruth with discernment and choose the course whose result upholds righteousness—this practical wisdom marks a dharma-knower.
In the Karṇa Parva context of battlefield counsel, Śrī Kṛṣṇa instructs about ethical speech under crisis: do not speak even ‘truth’ if it is unfit or leads to unrighteous outcomes; instead, decide carefully what truly serves dharma in result.