Shloka 1
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
हि >> आय न हुक है 7 अष्टा शीर्त्याधिकशततमोब् ध्याय: चारों युगोंकी वर्ष-संख्या एवं कलियुगके प्रभावका वर्णन
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tataḥ sa punar evātha mārkaṇḍeyaṃ yaśasvinam | papraccha vinayopeto dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—তদনন্তর বিনয়সমন্বিত ধর্মরাজ যুধিষ্ঠির পুনরায় যশস্বী মর্কণ্ডেয় মুনিকে প্রশ্ন করলেন।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical learning begins with vinaya (humility): even a king identified with dharma approaches wisdom through respectful questioning, showing that authority is strengthened—not diminished—by reverence for truth and teachers.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Yudhiṣṭhira again turns to the sage Mārkaṇḍeya and poses a further question, signaling the continuation of a didactic conversation within the Vana Parva.