Mahabharata 3.201.119 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 119
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्तस्तु राजेन्द्र प्रत्युवाच महायशा: । भगवन् श्रोतुमिच्छामि प्रधानविधिमुत्तमम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca evam uktas tu rājendra pratyuvāca mahāyaśāḥ | bhagavan śrotum icchāmi pradhāna-vidhim uttamam ||
قال فَيْشَمْبايَنَة: فلما خوطِبَ هكذا، يا خيرَ الملوك، أجاب يودهيشثيرا ذو المجد: «أيها السيد الموقَّر، أودّ الآن أن أسمع الإجراء الأسمى والأفضل—القاعدة الرئيسة—في شأن شعيرة العطاء (الدّانا).»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as something to be learned through proper injunction (vidhi): Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the ‘foremost’ and ‘excellent’ procedure for dāna, implying that ethical giving is not merely intention but also right method, guided by sages.
After Mārkaṇḍeya has spoken, Yudhiṣṭhira responds respectfully, requesting further instruction—specifically, the principal rules for the practice of giving. Vaiśampāyana narrates this exchange to King Janamejaya.
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