Instructions on truth and untruth

 yudhiṣṭhira uvāca

kathaṁ dharme sthātumicchan naro varteta bhārata

vidvan jijñāsamānāya prabrūhi bharatarṣabha

Yudhiṣṭhira said

How, O Bhārata, should a person act who wishes to follow virtue? O foremost of Bhārata race, learned as you are, enlighten me on this subject.

satyaṁ cevānṛtaṁ cobhe lokānāvṛtya tiṣṭhataḥ

tayoḥ kimācared rājan puruṣo dharmaniścitaḥ

Truth and falsehood exist all over the world. Which of these two, O king, should a Virtuous person follow?

kiṁsvit satyaṁ kimanṛtaṁ kiṁsvid dharmyaṁ sanātanam

kasminkāle vadetsatyaṁ kasminkāle ̍nṛtaṁ vadet

What is the truth? What is falsehood? What is eternal Dharma? When should one tell the truth and when should he tell an untruth?

bhīṣma uvāca

satyasya vacanaṁ sādhu na satyād vidyate param

ttu lokeṣu durjñānaṁ tat pravakṣyāmi bhārata

Bhīṣma said:

To tell the truth is righteous. There is nothing higher than truth. I shall tell you now, O Bhārata, what is not known to people in general.

bhavet satyaṁ na vaktavyaṁ vaktavyamanṛtaṁ bhavet

yatrānṛtaṁ bhavet satyaṁ satyaṁ vāpyanṛtaṁ bhavet

There where falsehood prevails as truth, truth should not be pronounced. There where truth passes as a falsehood, only falsehood should be pronounced. 

tādṛśo badhyate bālo yatra satyamaniṣṭhitam

satyānṛte viniścitya tato bhavati dharmavit

That ignorant person commits sin, who declares truth which is not righteous. That person is a master of duties, who can distinguish truth from untruth.

apyanāryo ̍kṛtaprajñaḥ puruṣo ̍pyatidāruṇaḥ

sumahat prāpnuyāt puṇyaṁ balāko ̍ndhavadhādiva

Even disreputable person, who is very truthless, may succeed in acquiring great merit as hunter Balāka by killing blind beast.

kimāśrcaryaṁ ca yanmūḍho dharmakāmo ̍pyadharmavit

sumahat prāpnuyāt puṇyaṁ gaṅgāyāmiva kauśikaḥ

How wonderful it is that a foolish person though desirous of winning merit still perppetrated a sinful deed! But an owl, living on the banks of Gaṅgā river, acquared great merit.

tādṛśo ̍yamanupraśno yatra dharmaḥ sudurlabhaḥ

duṣkaraḥ prati saṁkhyātuṁ tat kenātra vyavasyati

The question you have put to me is a difficult one, because it is difficult to say what is righteousness. It is not easy to describe it. None describing righteousness can describe it accurately.

pra bhavārthāya bhūtānāṁ dharmapravacanaṁ kṛtam

yaḥ syāt prabhavasaṁyuktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ

Righteousness was declared for aggrandisement and growth of all creatures. Therefore, what brings on advancement and growth is righteousness.

dhāraṇād dharmamityāhurdharmeṇa vidhṛtāḥ prajāḥ

yaḥ syād dhāraṇasaṁyuktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ

Righteousness was declared for preventing creatures from injuring one another. Therefore, righteousness is that which prevents injury to creatures.

ahiṁsārthāya bhūtānāṁ dharmapravacanaṁ kṛtam

yaḥ syādahiṁsāsampṛktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ

Righteousness is also so called because it maintains all creatures. In fact, all creatures are kept up in righteousness, therefore, righteousness is capable of upholding all creatures.

śrutidharma iti hyeke netyāhurapare janāḥ

na ca tatpratyasūyāmo na hi sarvaṁ vidhīyate

Some say that righteousness is injunction of Śrutis. Others do not agree to that. I would blame them who say so. Everything has not been described in Śrutis.

ye ̍nyāyena jihīrṣanto dhanamicchanti kasyacit

tebhyastu na tadākhyeyaṁ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ

Sometimes men, desirous of getting wealth of somebody, do make enquiries. One should never answer such enquiries. That is settled duty.

akūjanena cenmokṣo nāvakūjet kathaṁcana

avaśyaṁ kūjitavye vā śaṅkeran vāpyakūjanāt 

śreyastatrānṛtaṁ vaktuṁ satyāditi vicāritam

yaḥ pāpaiḥ saha sambandhānmucyate śāpathādapi

If by becoming silent, one succeeds in escaping, one should remain silent. If, however, one ̍s silence at a time when one must speak creates suspicion, it would be better to tell what is untrue and what is true. That is right conclusion. If one can escape from sinful men by an oath, one may take it without committing sin.

na tebhyo ̍pi dhanaṁ deyaṁ śakye sati kathaṁcana

pāpebhyo hi dhanaṁ dattaṁ dātāramapi pīḍayet

One should not, even if he is able, give away his wealth to sinful men. Wealth given to sinful men assails the giver.

svaśarīroparodhena dhanamādātumicchataḥ

satyasampratipattyarthaṁ yad brūyuḥ sākṣiṇaḥ kvacit

anuktvā tatra tadvācyaṁ sarve te ̍nṛtavādinaḥ

prāṇātyaye vivāhe ca vaktaoyamanṛtaṁ bhavet

If a creditor wishes to take from his debtor a payment of the load by bodily service, the witness would all prejure it, summoned by the creditor for establishing the truth of agreement, they do not say what should be said. When life is in danger, or on occasion of marriage, one may say an untruth.

arthasya rakṣaṇārthāya pareṣāṁ dharmāraṇāt

pareṣāṁ siddhimākāṅkṣan nīcaḥ syād dharmabhikṣukaḥ

One who seeks for virtue, does not commit a sin by saying a falsehood, if it be said to save the wealth and prosperity of others, or for religious purposes.

pratiśrutya pradātavyaḥ svakāryastu balātkṛtaḥ

yaḥ kaścod dharmasamayāt pracyuto dharmasādhanaḥ

daṇḍanaiva sa hantavyastaṁ panthānaṁ samāśritaḥ

cyutaḥ sadaiva dharmebhyo ̍mānavaṁ dharmāsthitaḥ

śaṭhaḥ svadharmamutsṛjya tamicchedupajīvitum

Having promised to pay, one is bound to satisfy his promise. If failing, self-appropriator must be forcibly enslaved. If a person without satisfying a fair engagement acts improperly, he should, forsooth, be punished with the rod of punishment for behaving that way. Deviating from all duties and abandoning those of his own order, a deceitful person always wishes to follow the conduct of Asuras for maintaining himself.

sarvopāyairnihantavyaḥ pāpo nikṛtijīvanaḥ

dhanamityeva pāpānāṁ sarveṣāmiha niścayaḥ

Such a sinful wight, living by deceit, should be killed by all means. Such sinful creatures do not see anything an this world superior to wealth.

Aviṣahyā hyasambhojyā nikṛtyā patanaṁ gatāḥ

cyutā devamanuṣyebhyo yathā pretāstathaiva te

Such men should never be tolerated. No one should eat with them. They should be considered as degraded for their sins. Indeed, degraded from the status of humanity and shut out from the grace of Gods, they are like evil genie.

nityajñāstapasā hīnā mā sma taiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ

dhananāśād duḥkhataraṁ jīvitād viprayojanam

Abandon their companionship who do not perform sacrifices and penances. If their wealth be lost, they commit suicide which is highly pitiable.

Ayaṁ te rocatāṁ dharma iti vācyaḥ prayatnataḥ

na kaścidasti pāpānāṁ dharma ityeṣa niścayaḥ

Of those sinful men there is none to whom you can say : This is your duty! Let your heart be to it! Their firm belief is that there is nothing in this world which is equal to wealth.

tathāgataṁ ca yo hanyānnāsau pāpena lipyate

svakarmaṇā hataṁ hanti hata eva sa hanyate

One who would kill such a creature would commit no sin. He, who slays him, slays one who has been arleady killed by his own acts. If killed, it is the dead who is killed. 

teṣu yaḥ samayaṁ kaścit kurvīta hatabuddhiṣu

yathā kākāśca gṛdhrāśca tathaivopadhijīvinaḥ

ūrdhvaṁ dehavimokṣāt te bhavantyetāsu yoniṣu

He, who promises to kill those persons of lost senses, should keep his promise. Such sinners are like crows and vultures who live by deceit. When their bodies are dissolved, they are born again as crows and vultures.

yasmin yathā vartate yo manuṣyā

stasmiṁstathā vartitavyaṁ sa dharmaḥ 

māyācāro māyayā bādhitavyaḥ

sādhvācāraḥ sādhunā pratyupeyaḥ

One should treat another as the latter does him. A deceitful person should be thwarted with deceit, while a honest man should be treated with honesty.