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 ||
A serpente disse: “Majestade: a caridade, a verdade e a adesão ao que é real (tattva), a não violência e a fala agradável—entre todas elas, o que se considera ‘mais pesado’ ou ‘mais leve’ é julgado conforme a gravidade da situação e a importância da tarefa.”
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.