किंस्वित्सत्यं किमनृतं किंसविद्धर्म्यं सनातनम ।
कस्मिन्काले वदेत्सत्यं कस्मिन्कालेऽनृतं वदेत् ॥
सत्यस्य वचनं साधु न सत्याद्विद्यते परम् ।
यद्भूलॊके सुदुर्ज्ञातं तत ते वक्ष्यामि भारत ॥
भवेत् सत्यं न वक्तव्यं वक्तव्यमनृतं भवेत् ।
यत्रानृतं भवेत् सत्यं सत्यं वाप्यनृतं भवेत् ॥
तादृशे मुह्यते बालॊ यत्र सत्यम अनिष्ठितम ।
सत्यानृते विनिश्चित्य ततॊ भवति धर्मवित् ॥
kiṁsvit satyaṁ kim anṛtaṁ kiṁsvid dharmyaṁ sanātanam |
kasmin kāle vadet satyaṁ kasmin kāle’nṛtaṁ vadet ||
satyasya vacanaṁ sādhu na satyād vidyate param |
yad bhūloke sudurjñātaṁ tat te vakṣyāmi bhārata ||
bhavet satyam avaktavyaṁ vaktavyam anṛtaṁ bhavet |
yatrānṛtaṁ bhavet satyaṁ satyaṁ vāpy anṛtaṁ bhavet ||
tādṛśe muhyate bālo yatra satyam aniṣṭhitam |
satyānṛte viniścitya tato bhavati dharmavit ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.110.3–6)
[Yudhiṣṭhira inquires:] “‘What is truth? What is untruth? What is always in accord with dharma? When should truth be spoken? When should untruth be spoken?’
[Bhīṣmadeva answers:] “‘Truthful speech is best. There is nothing greater than truth. That which is very difficult to understand on the surface of earth [i.e., truth] I shall describe to you, O descendant of Bhārata. Truth can be improper to speak, and untruth can be proper to speak. An unwise person is bewildered by that wherein untruth can be truth or truth can also be untruth, and wherein truth is not fixed. After determining [what is] truth and [what is] untruth one then becomes a knower of dharma.’”