Shloka 13

Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra

Devanagari script

गुरुलाघवमादाय धर्माधर्मविनिश्चये । यतो भूयांस्ततो राजन्‌ कुरुष्व धर्मनिश्चयम्‌,राजन! धर्म और अधर्मका निर्णय करते समय पुण्य और पापके गौरव-लाघवपर ही दृष्टि रखकर विचार कीजिये तथा जिसमें अधिक पुण्य हो उसीको आचरणमें लाने योग्य धर्म ठहराइये

Transliteration

gurulāghavam ādāya dharmādharmaviniścaye | yato bhūyāṁs tato rājan kuruṣva dharmaniścayam ||

Translation

O King, when you are judging between dharma and adharma, weigh the relative gravity and lightness of merit and sin. Having considered which course carries the greater share of righteousness, decide that to be dharma and make it the rule of your conduct.

Word by Word

गुरुलाघवम्heaviness and lightness (relative weight/importance)

आदायhaving taken; considering

धर्माधर्मविनिश्चयेin the determination of dharma and adharma

यतःfrom which; wherefrom; inasmuch as

भूयान्greater; more (in amount/merit)

ततःtherefore; from that (side)

राजन्O king

कुरुष्वdo; make; decide

धर्मनिश्चयम्a determination/decision of dharma

Speaker

श्येन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śyena (the hawk, speaker)

Rājan (the king, addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with competing options that mix right and wrong, one should judge by comparative moral weight: choose and enact the course in which dharma (merit) is greater and adharma (sin) is lesser.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śyena (the hawk) addresses a king and offers a principle for ethical judgment: in deciding between dharma and adharma, the ruler should weigh consequences and adopt the option that yields the greater good/merit.