Shloka 4
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
सर्प उवाच दानं च सत्य॑ तत्त्वं वा अहिंसा प्रियमेव च । एषां कार्यगरीयस्त्वाद् दृश्यते गुरुलाघवम्,सर्पने कहा--महाराज! दान, सत्य-तत्त्व, अहिंसा और प्रियभाषण--इनकी गुरुता और लघुता कार्यकी महत्ताके अनुसार देखी जाती है
sarpa uvāca dānaṃ ca satyaṃ tattvaṃ vā ahiṃsā priyam eva ca | eṣāṃ kārya-garīyastvād dṛśyate guru-lāghavam ||
সৰ্পে ক’লে—মহাৰাজ! দান, সত্য-তত্ত্ব, অহিংসা আৰু প্ৰিয়ভাষণ—ইয়াৰ গুৰুতা-লঘুতা কাৰ্যৰ মহত্ত্ব অনুসাৰেই দেখা যায়।
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that virtues like charity, truth, non-violence, and pleasant speech are not applied mechanically; their relative priority (what is ‘weightier’ or ‘lighter’) must be discerned in light of the specific duty and the seriousness of the situation.
A serpent is speaking in a didactic exchange, laying down a principle of dharma: when multiple good values seem to conflict, one must evaluate them according to the demands of the particular task (kārya) and choose what carries greater moral weight in that context.