Shloka 4
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
सर्प उवाच दानं च सत्य॑ तत्त्वं वा अहिंसा प्रियमेव च । एषां कार्यगरीयस्त्वाद् दृश्यते गुरुलाघवम्,सर्पने कहा--महाराज! दान, सत्य-तत्त्व, अहिंसा और प्रियभाषण--इनकी गुरुता और लघुता कार्यकी महत्ताके अनुसार देखी जाती है
sarpa uvāca dānaṃ ca satyaṃ tattvaṃ vā ahiṃsā priyam eva ca | eṣāṃ kārya-garīyastvād dṛśyate guru-lāghavam ||
The serpent said: “Charity, truthfulness, adherence to what is real (tattva), non-violence, and speaking what is pleasing—among these, what counts as ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ is judged according to the gravity of the situation and the importance of the task at hand.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that virtues like charity, truth, non-violence, and pleasant speech are not applied mechanically; their relative priority (what is ‘weightier’ or ‘lighter’) must be discerned in light of the specific duty and the seriousness of the situation.
A serpent is speaking in a didactic exchange, laying down a principle of dharma: when multiple good values seem to conflict, one must evaluate them according to the demands of the particular task (kārya) and choose what carries greater moral weight in that context.