Shloka 7
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
एवमेतद् भवेद् राजन् कायपिक्षमनन्तरम् | यदभिप्रेतमन्यत् ते ब्रूहि यावद् ब्रवीम्यहम्,राजन! इस प्रकार इनके गौरव-लाघवका निश्चय कार्यकी अपेक्षासे ही होता है। अब और जो कुछ भी प्रश्न तुम्हें अभीष्ट हो, वह पूछो । मैं यथासाध्य उत्तर देता हूँ
evam etad bhaved rājan kāryāpekṣam anantaram | yad abhipretam anyat te brūhi yāvad bravīmy aham ||
«Así es, oh rey: el juicio de lo que pesa o es liviano depende directamente de las exigencias de la situación y de la obra que ha de hacerse. Ahora, si hay algo más que deseas saber, pregúntalo; hablaré hasta donde me sea posible.»
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches contextual ethical discernment: the ‘heaviness’ (importance/seriousness) or ‘lightness’ (lesser weight) of an action is determined with reference to the concrete duty or task at hand (kāryāpekṣā), not by abstract labels alone.
The serpent, addressing a king, confirms a principle about evaluating actions according to practical necessity and then invites the king to ask further questions, promising to answer to the best of his ability.