12.110
युधिष्ठिर उवाच॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
कथं धर्मे स्थातुमिच्छन्नरो वर्तेत भारत। विद्वञ्जिज्ञासमानाय प्रब्रूहि भरतर्षभ ॥१२-११०-१॥
O Bhārata, how should a man who wishes to uphold dharma act? O learned one, please explain to the inquirer, O best of the Bharatas.
सत्यं चैवानृतं चोभे लोकानावृत्य तिष्ठतः। तयोः किमाचरेद्राजन्पुरुषो धर्मनिश्चितः ॥१२-११०-२॥
Truth and untruth both pervade the worlds. O king, which of these should a man established in dharma follow?
किं स्वित्सत्यं किमनृतं किं स्विद्धर्म्यं सनातनम्। कस्मिन्काले वदेत्सत्यं कस्मिन्कालेऽनृतं वदेत् ॥१२-११०-३॥
What is truly truth, what is falsehood, what is the eternal righteous principle? At what time should one speak the truth, and at what time should one speak falsehood?
भीष्म उवाच॥
Bhīṣma said.
सत्यस्य वचनं साधु न सत्याद्विद्यते परम्। यद्भूलोके सुदुर्ज्ञातं तत्ते वक्ष्यामि भारत ॥१२-११०-४॥
Speaking the truth is virtuous; nothing surpasses truth. I will tell you, O Bhārata, that which is very difficult to know in this world.
भवेत्सत्यं न वक्तव्यं वक्तव्यमनृतं भवेत्। यत्रानृतं भवेत्सत्यं सत्यं वाप्यनृतं भवेत् ॥१२-११०-५॥
One should not speak the truth if it is inappropriate; and one may have to speak an untruth if it is appropriate. Where untruth becomes truth, or truth itself becomes untruth.
तादृशे मुह्यते बालो यत्र सत्यमनिष्ठितम्। सत्यानृते विनिश्चित्य ततो भवति धर्मवित् ॥१२-११०-६॥
An immature person is confused in situations where truth is not established. But after discerning truth from untruth, he becomes one who knows dharma.
अप्यनार्योऽकृतप्रज्ञः पुरुषोऽपि सुदारुणः। सुमहत्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यं बलाकोऽन्धवधादिव ॥१२-११०-७॥
Even a base, undiscerning, and very cruel man may sometimes gain great merit, just as a crane does by killing the blind.
किमाश्चर्यं च यन्मूढो धर्मकामोऽप्यधर्मवित्। सुमहत्प्राप्नुयात्पापं गङ्गायामिव कौशिकः ॥१२-११०-८॥
It is not surprising that a deluded person, even if he desires righteousness but knows only unrighteousness, may incur great sin, just as the sage Kauśika did in the Ganga.
तादृशोऽयमनुप्रश्नो यत्र धर्मः सुदुर्वचः। दुष्करः प्रतिसङ्ख्यातुं तर्केणात्र व्यवस्यति ॥१२-११०-९॥
This is such a subsequent question, where dharma is very hard to express; it is difficult to enumerate, and here one must determine it by reasoning.
प्रभावार्थाय भूतानां धर्मप्रवचनं कृतम्। यत्स्यादहिंसासंयुक्तं स धर्म इति निश्चयः ॥१२-११०-१०॥
The teaching of dharma has been given for the benefit of all beings. Whatever is united with non-violence, that alone is truly dharma—this is the settled conclusion.
धारणाद्धर्म इत्याहुर्धर्मेण विधृताः प्रजाः। यत्स्याद्धारणसंयुक्तं स धर्म इति निश्चयः ॥१२-११०-११॥
They say that dharma is derived from sustaining; by dharma, creatures are supported. Whatever is associated with sustaining, that certainly is dharma.
श्रुतिधर्म इति ह्येके नेत्याहुरपरे जनाः। न तु तत्प्रत्यसूयामो न हि सर्वं विधीयते ॥१२-११०-१२॥
Some people say, 'śruti is dharma,' while others say, 'not so.' But we do not find fault with that, for not everything is prescribed.
येऽन्यायेन जिहीर्षन्तो धनमिच्छन्ति कर्हिचित्। तेभ्यस्तन्न तदाख्येयं स धर्म इति निश्चयः ॥१२-११०-१३॥
It is decided that dharma is not to be revealed to those who, at any time, desire to take away wealth unjustly.
अकूजनेन चेन्मोक्षो नात्र कूजेत्कथञ्चन। अवश्यं कूजितव्यं वा शङ्केरन्वाप्यकूजनात् ॥१२-११०-१४॥
If liberation were attained by silence, then one should never utter a sound here. But certainly, one must utter, or else one should suspect even after not uttering.
श्रेयस्तत्रानृतं वक्तुं सत्यादिति विचारितम्। यः पापैः सह सम्बन्धान्मुच्यते शपथादिति ॥१२-११०-१५॥
It has been considered there that, in certain cases, speaking falsehood is better than truth, if by oath one is released from connection with sins.
न च तेभ्यो धनं देयं शक्ये सति कथञ्चन। पापेभ्यो हि धनं दत्तं दातारमपि पीडयेत् ॥१२-११०-१६॥
Wealth should never be given to the wicked, even if possible, for giving wealth to the wicked will also bring harm to the giver.
स्वशरीरोपरोधेन वरमादातुमिच्छतः। सत्यसम्प्रतिपत्त्यर्थं ये ब्रूयुः साक्षिणः क्वचित् ॥ अनुक्त्वा तत्र तद्वाच्यं सर्वे तेऽनृतवादिनः ॥१२-११०-१७॥
If someone, desiring to obtain a boon by restraining his own body, has witnesses who are to speak for the sake of confirming the truth, but if all those witnesses do not say what should be said there, then all of them are speakers of untruth.
प्राणात्यये विवाहे च वक्तव्यमनृतं भवेत्। अर्थस्य रक्षणार्थाय परेषां धर्मकारणात् ॥ परेषां धर्ममाकाङ्क्षन्नीचः स्याद्धर्मभिक्षुकः ॥१२-११०-१८॥
Untruth may be spoken in situations of danger to life, in marriage, for the protection of wealth, or for the sake of others' dharma. One who desires the dharma of others becomes a low person, a beggar for dharma.
प्रतिश्रुत्य तु दातव्यं श्वःकार्यस्तु बलात्कृतः। यः कश्चिद्धर्मसमयात्प्रच्युतोऽधर्ममास्थितः ॥१२-११०-१९॥
If one has promised, one must give; but what is to be done tomorrow is done by force. Whoever deviates from the agreement of dharma and resorts to unrighteousness.
शठः स्वधर्ममुत्सृज्य तमिच्छेदुपजीवितुम्। सर्वोपायैर्निहन्तव्यः पापो निकृतिजीवनः ॥१२-११०-२०॥
A deceitful person who abandons his own duty and seeks to live by deceiving others should be destroyed by all possible means; a wicked person who lives by deceit deserves no mercy.
धनमित्येव पापानां सर्वेषामिह निश्चयः। येऽविषह्या ह्यसम्भोज्या निकृत्या पतनं गताः ॥१२-११०-२१॥
For all the wicked, wealth alone is their only certainty here. Those who are unbearable and cannot be enjoyed together, through deceit, have fallen.
च्युता देवमनुष्येभ्यो यथा प्रेतास्तथैव ते। धनादानाद्दुःखतरं जीविताद्विप्रयोजनम् ॥१२-११०-२२॥
Those who have fallen from the company of gods and men are like departed spirits. For them, separation from life is even more painful than giving up wealth.
अयं वो रोचतां धर्म इति वाच्यः प्रयत्नतः। न कश्चिदस्ति पापानां धर्म इत्येष निश्चयः ॥१२-११०-२३॥
One should diligently say to you: "Let dharma be pleasing." There is certainly no dharma among the wicked; this is the established truth.
तथागतं च यो हन्यान्नासौ पापेन लिप्यते। स्वकर्मणा हतं हन्ति हत एव स हन्यते ॥ तेषु यः समयं कश्चित्कुर्वीत हतबुद्धिषु ॥१२-११०-२४॥
One who kills a tathāgata is not stained by sin. By his own actions, he kills only the already slain; he himself is killed. Among such people, whoever makes an agreement does so among those whose intellect is destroyed.
यथा काकश्च गृध्रश्च तथैवोपधिजीविनः। ऊर्ध्वं देहविमोक्षान्ते भवन्त्येतासु योनिषु ॥१२-११०-२५॥
Just as crows and vultures, so too those who live by deceit, after death, are born in these species.
यस्मिन्यथा वर्तते यो मनुष्य; स्तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तितव्यं स धर्मः। मायाचारो मायया वर्तितव्यः; साध्वाचारः साधुना प्रत्युदेयः ॥१२-११०-२६॥
One should behave towards a person in the same manner as that person behaves; that is dharma. A deceitful person should be dealt with deceit, and a virtuous person should be reciprocated by the virtuous.
