03178001a bhavAn etAdRzo loke vedavedAGgapAragaH yudhiSThira said, 'In this world, you are so learned in the Vedas and Vedangas;
03178001c brUhi kiGM kurvataH karma bhaved gatir anuttamA tell me (then), what one should do to attain salvation?'
03178002 sarpa uvAca
03178002a pAtre dattvA priyANy uktvA satyam uktvA ca bhArata 'The serpent replied, 'O scion of the bharata's race, the man who bestows alms on proper objects, speaks kind words and tells the truth
03178002c ahiMsAniratasH svargaGM gacched iti matir mama and abstains from doing injury to any creature goes to heaven, that's my belief'
03178003 yudhiSThira uvAca
03178003a dAnAd vA sarpa satyAd vA kim ato guru dRzyate 'yudhiSThira enquired, 'Which, O snake, is the higher of the two, truth or alms-giving?
03178003c ahiMsApriyayoz caiva gurulAghavam ucyatAm Tell me also the greater or less importance of kind behaviour and of doing injury to no creature.'
note: : guru-lAghavam means gauravam lAghavaM ca. Possibly ungrammatical, but nvm.
03178004 sarpa uvAca 'The snake replied,
03178004a dAnaJM ca satyanM tattvaM vA ahiMsA priyam eva ca truth and alms-giving, kind speech and abstention from injury to any creature,
03178004c eSAGM kAryagarIyastvAd dRzyate gurulAghavam 'The relative merits of these virtues are known (measured) by their objective gravity (utility).
03178005a kasmAc cid dAnayogAd dhi satyam eva viziSyate Because telling the truth is more praiseworthy than some acts of charity;
03178005c satyavAkyAc ca rAjendra kiJM cid dAnaM viziSyate and some acts of charity are better than telling the truth.
03178006a evam eva maheSvAsa priyavAkyAn mahIpate Similarly, O mighty king, and lord of the earth, soft speech
03178006c ahiMsA dRzyate gurvI tataz ca priyam iSyate is seen to be more important than abstention from doing injury to any creature and vice-versa.
03178007a evam etad bhaved rAjan kAryApekSam anantaram Even so it is, O king, depending on effects. And now,
03178007c yad abhipretam anyat te brUhi yAvad bravImy aham if thou hast anything else to ask, say it all, I shall enlighten thee!'
03178008 yudhiSThira uvAca yudhiSThira said,
03178008a kathaM svarge gatisH sarpa karmaNAJM ca phalanM dhruvam 'O snake, how the soul's translation to heaven, the immutable fruits of its actions,
03178008c azarIrasya dRzyeta viSayAMz ca bravIhi me its perception by the senses and its enjoyment of, can be comprehended? Tell me!.'
03178009 sarpa uvAca The snake replied,
03178009a tisro vai gatayo rAjan paridRSTAsH svakarmabhiH 'By his own acts, man is seen to attain to one of the three conditions
03178009c mAnuSyaM svargavAsaz ca tiryagyoniz ca tat tridhA of human existence, of heavenly life, or of birth in the lower animal kingdom.
