Shloka 13
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
गुरुलाघवमादाय धर्माधर्मविनिश्चये । यतो भूयांस्ततो राजन् कुरुष्व धर्मनिश्चयम्
gurulāghavam ādāya dharmādharmaviniścaye | yato bhūyāṁs tato rājan kuruṣva dharmaniścayam ||
Wahai Raja, ketika memutuskan antara dharma dan adharma, timbanglah berat-ringannya pahala dan dosa. Setelah menilai jalan mana yang memuat kebenaran lebih besar, tetapkan itulah dharma dan jadikan pedoman perilakumu.
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.