Shloka 74
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
किमुक्तश्च तया त्वं च वद तत्सांप्रतं मुने । विप्र उवाच । प्रष्टुं धर्मतुलाधारं सा च मां समुपादिशत्
kimuktaśca tayā tvaṃ ca vada tatsāṃprataṃ mune | vipra uvāca | praṣṭuṃ dharmatulādhāraṃ sā ca māṃ samupādiśat
“Katakanlah sekarang, wahai muni: apa yang ia ucapkan, dan apa jawabanmu?” Brāhmaṇa itu berkata: “Ia menasihatiku agar pergi dan bertanya kepada penopang neraca Dharma, yakni Dharmatūlādhāra.”
Vipra (Brāhmaṇa narrator)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: किमुक्तश्च = किम् + उक्तः + च; तत्सांप्रतं = तत् + साम्प्रतम्; विप्र उवाच = विप्रः + उवाच; धर्मतुलाधारं = धर्मतुलाधारम्.
FAQs
The verse explicitly marks the speaker as the “vipra” (a brāhmaṇa), indicating a narrated reply within an ongoing dialogue.
It literally means “the support/base of Dharma’s balance,” i.e., the authority or upholder associated with weighing and judging Dharma—someone to be approached for a decisive clarification about righteousness.
It emphasizes disciplined inquiry: when faced with uncertainty, one should seek guidance from an authoritative foundation of Dharma rather than relying on guesswork or impulse.