Mahabharata shloka

[Madhav Deshpande]

On Thu, 25 May 1995, . wrote:

> Dear Indologists,
> 
> I would like to ask a grammar question about
> a shloka from the Mahabharata.
> 
> satyasya vacana.m "sreya.h satyAdapi hita.m vadet |
> yadbhUtahitamatya.mtametatsatya.m mata.m mama ||
> 
> In the second paada, satya appears in the ablative case.
> Does this mean that "one should speak what is beneficial
> *from* the set of things that are true" or is the ablative
> for comparison as in "one should speak what is beneficial
> rather *than* what is true"?
> 
> Thank you for any help you can provide.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Gary R. Thrapp
> thrapp at nosc.mil
>  
> 
	The phrase "satyaad api hitam vadet" means:  "one should rather 
speeak something that is beneficial, rather than something that is 
true."  The second part of the verse then says:  "That which is 
beneficial is the really true ..."
	
	Madhav Deshpande