Shloka 3
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
केन शीलेन वृत्तेन कर्मणा कीदृशेन वा । समाचारैर्गुणै: कैर्वा स्वर्ग यान्तीह मानवा:
kena śīlena vṛttena karmaṇā kīdṛśena vā | samācārair guṇaiḥ kair vā svargaṃ yāntīha mānavāḥ, prabho ||
“By what kind of character and disposition, by what manner of conduct, and by what sort of actions—by which good customs and virtues—do human beings in this world become bound, become released, and attain heaven?”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a dharmic inquiry: heavenly attainment is linked to a composite of inner character (śīla), outward conduct (vṛtta), intentional deeds (karma), and cultivated virtues and observances (guṇa, samācāra). It implies that destiny is shaped not by a single act but by an integrated ethical life.
Śrī Maheśvara addresses the Lord with a formal question, asking for the criteria—qualities and behaviors—by which humans attain svarga. This functions as the opening of an instruction or discourse on righteous living and its results.