Shloka 5
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
श्रीमहेश्वरने कहा--धर्म और अर्थके तत्त्वको जाननेवाली, सदा धर्ममें तत्पर रहनेवाली, इन्द्रियसंयम-परायणे देवि! तुम्हारा प्रश्न समस्त प्राणियोंके लिये हितकर तथा बुद्धिको बढ़ानेवाला है, इसका उत्तर सुनो ।।
śrī-maheśvara uvāca—dharma-artha-tattva-jñāne, sadā dharme tatparā, indriya-saṃyama-parāyaṇe devi! tava praśnaḥ sarva-prāṇi-hita-karaḥ buddhi-vardhanaś ca; tasya uttaraṃ śṛṇu. satya-dharma-ratāḥ santaḥ sarva-liṅga-bhāva-vivarjitāḥ; dharma-labdha-artha-bhoktāras te narāḥ svarga-gāminaḥ.
Śrī Maheśvara bersabda: “Wahai Dewi—yang mengetahui prinsip dharma dan artha, sentiasa tekun pada dharma, dan bertekad pada pengendalian diri—pertanyaanmu bermanfaat bagi semua makhluk dan menambah kefahaman. Dengarlah jawabannya. Orang-orang baik yang bersuka dalam kebenaran dan dharma, yang bebas daripada segala tanda lahiriah identiti sosial atau pertapaan, dan yang menikmati kekayaan yang diperoleh melalui dharma—mereka itulah yang pergi ke syurga.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True merit lies in truthfulness, devotion to dharma, and self-restraint; even without outward religious or social badges, those who enjoy wealth earned through righteous means are said to attain heaven.
Śrī Maheśvara responds to the Goddess’s inquiry, praising it as universally beneficial, and then states the criterion for heavenly attainment: inner commitment to satya and dharma, coupled with righteous livelihood, rather than reliance on external identifiers.