Shloka 3
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
युधिछिर उवाच दानाद् वा सर्प सत्याद् वा किमतो गुरु दृश्यते । अहिंसाप्रिययोश्वैव गुरुलाघवमुच्यताम्,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--नागराज! दान और सत्यमें किसका पलड़ा भारी देखा जाता है? अहिंसा और प्रियभाषण--इनमेंसे किसका महत्त्व अधिक है और किसका कम? यह बताओ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dānād vā sarpa satyād vā kim ato guru dṛśyate | ahiṃsāpriyayor caiva gurulāghavam ucyatām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Serpent (king), which is seen to carry greater weight—generosity or truthfulness? And between non-violence and pleasing speech, which is the more important and which the lesser? Please declare their relative gravity.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry about moral prioritization: when virtues appear to compete—charity vs truth, non-violence vs pleasing speech—one must discern which carries greater ethical weight in a given context.
In the Vana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga (serpent king) and asks for a judgment on the comparative importance of key virtues, seeking guidance on how to rank and apply them.