Shloka 13

Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra

Devanagari script

गुरुलाघवमादाय धर्माधर्मविनिश्चये । यतो भूयांस्ततो राजन्‌ कुरुष्व धर्मनिश्चयम्‌

Transliteration

gurulāghavam ādāya dharmādharmaviniścaye | yato bhūyāṁs tato rājan kuruṣva dharmaniścayam ||

Translation

Hỡi Đại vương, khi phân định giữa dharma và adharma, hãy cân nhắc mức nặng nhẹ của công đức và tội lỗi. Sau khi xét xem con đường nào mang phần chính nghĩa lớn hơn, hãy quyết định đó là dharma và lấy làm chuẩn mực cho hành vi của mình.

Word by Word

• गुरुलाघवम्: heaviness and lightness (relative weight/importance)
• गुरुलाघवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरुलाघव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken; considering
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• धर्माधर्मविनिश्चये: in the determination of dharma and adharma
• धर्माधर्मविनिश्चये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्माधर्मविनिश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• यतः: from which; wherefrom; inasmuch as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस्

• भूयान्: greater; more (in amount/merit)
• भूयान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूयस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Comparative

• ततः: therefore; from that (side)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततस्

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कुरुष्व: do; make; decide
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्मनिश्चयम्: a determination/decision of dharma
• धर्मनिश्चयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मनिश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

श्येन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śyena (the hawk, speaker)
• Rājan (the king, addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with competing options that mix right and wrong, one should judge by comparative moral weight: choose and enact the course in which dharma (merit) is greater and adharma (sin) is lesser.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śyena (the hawk) addresses a king and offers a principle for ethical judgment: in deciding between dharma and adharma, the ruler should weigh consequences and adopt the option that yields the greater good/merit.