Shloka 45
कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः
Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas
कालेन महतागच्छत् स तु वाराणसी पुरीम् । विक्रीणन्तं च पण्यानि तुलाधारं ददर्श सः
kālena mahatā gacchat sa tu vārāṇasīṃ purīm | vikrīṇantaṃ ca paṇyāni tulādhāraṃ dadarśa saḥ ||
Après un long temps, il se rendit à la cité de Vārāṇasī. Là, il vit Tulādhāra—le porteur de la balance, un marchand pesant ses denrées—occupé à vendre ses marchandises. Cette scène, d’une simplicité apparente, pose en sourdine la question : comment le dharma peut demeurer jusque dans le gagne-pain ordinaire.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical reflection: dharma is not confined to ascetics or kings; it can be encountered in ordinary social roles such as trade, where honesty, fairness, and right measure (symbolized by the balance) become moral touchstones.
After a long time, the protagonist reaches Vārāṇasī and notices a merchant weighing and selling goods—a ‘tulādhāra’. This sight introduces a forthcoming discussion or exemplum centered on conduct and righteousness in worldly life.