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 ||
Con rắn đáp: “Tâu Đại vương! Bố thí, chân thật và sự nương theo tattva (chân lý), bất bạo hại, cùng lời nói êm đẹp—trong các điều ấy, cái gì ‘nặng’ hay ‘nhẹ’ được xét theo mức độ hệ trọng của hoàn cảnh và tầm quan trọng của việc phải làm.”
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.