Shloka 6
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
एवमेव महेष्वास प्रियवाक्यान्महीपते । अहिंसा दृश्यते गुर्वी ततश्च प्रियमिष्यते,महान् धनुर्थर भूपाल! इसी प्रकार कहीं तो प्रिय वचनकी अपेक्षा अहिंसाका गौरव अधिक देखा जाता है और कहीं अहिंसासे भी बढ़कर प्रियभाषणका महत्त्व दृष्टिगोचर होता है
evam eva maheṣvāsa priyavākyān mahīpate | ahiṃsā dṛśyate gurvī tataś ca priyam iṣyate ||
“Just so, O great archer, O king: in some situations the weight and dignity of non-violence is seen to be paramount; and in other situations, gentle and pleasing speech is regarded as even more important than non-violence. Thus, what is ‘best’ is judged by context—sometimes restraint from harm, sometimes the healing power of kindly words.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical priorities can be context-sensitive: sometimes ahiṃsā (non-harm) is the highest value, while in other contexts priyavākya (kind, pleasing speech) is treated as even more crucial for dharma and social harmony.
The serpent addresses a warrior-king (‘great archer’, ‘king’) and offers a reflective maxim: different situations reveal different dharmic emphases—either the supremacy of non-violence or the superior importance of gentle speech.