Shloka 1

Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--तात! धर्मज्ञ कुरुश्रेष्ठ! सांख्य और योगमें कया अन्तर है? यह बतानेकी कृपा करें; क्योंकि आपको सब बातोंका ज्ञान है

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Tāta! dharmajña kuruśreṣṭha! sāṅkhya-yogayoḥ ko 'ntaraḥ? etad vaktum arhasi; yataḥ sarva-viṣayeṣu te jñānam asti.

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Ehrwürdiger Herr—o Kenner des Dharma, Bester unter den Kurus—worin besteht der Unterschied zwischen Sāṅkhya und Yoga? Sei so gütig, es zu erklären; denn du besitzt Einsicht in alle Dinge.“

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said/asked
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तात: O father/sir
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• धर्मज्ञ: knower of dharma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कुरुश्रेष्ठ: best of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सांख्ये: in Sāṅkhya
• सांख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• योगे: in Yoga
• योगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कः: what/which
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्तरः: difference
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अस्ति: is
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कृपया: with kindness/please
• कृपया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• यतः: because/since
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस्

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• जानासि: you know
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kuru (lineage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a foundational ethical-philosophical inquiry: how two respected paths—Sāṅkhya (insight through discriminative knowledge) and Yoga (realization through disciplined practice)—are to be distinguished and understood within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully addresses an elder authority as ‘knower of dharma’ and asks for clarification on the doctrinal difference between Sāṅkhya and Yoga, initiating a teaching sequence.