Shloka 1
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
ऑपन-मा_ज (_) डे सप्ताशीरत्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: नारदजीका गालव मुनिको श्रेयका उपदेश युधिछिर उवाच अतत्त्वज्ञस्य शास्त्राणां सततं संशयात्मन: | अकृतव्यवसायस्य श्रेयो ब्रूहि पितामह
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | atattvajñasya śāstrāṇāṃ satataṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ | akṛtavyavasāyasya śreyo brūhi pitāmaha ||
যুধিষ্ঠিৰে ক’লে— হে পিতামহ! যি শাস্ত্ৰৰ প্ৰকৃত তত্ত্ব নাজানে, যাৰ মন সদায় সংশয়ত আচ্ছন্ন, আৰু যিয়ে কোনো দৃঢ় প্ৰয়াস/সাধনা গ্ৰহণ কৰা নাই—তেনে মানুহৰ বাবে শ্রেয় (সত্য কল্যাণ) কি? সি কেনেকৈ মঙ্গল লাভ কৰিব? মোক কওক।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a prerequisite for śreyas (true welfare): mere exposure to śāstra is insufficient without grasping its essence (tattva), overcoming chronic doubt through discernment, and adopting firm resolve (vyavasāya) in practice. It sets up Bhīṣma’s instruction on how clarity, conviction, and disciplined effort enable ethical and spiritual progress.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance after the war, questions Bhīṣma (lying on the bed of arrows) about dharma and the path to the highest good. Here he asks specifically how a person who lacks true understanding of scripture, remains perpetually doubtful, and has no settled commitment can attain welfare—inviting Bhīṣma’s counsel.