Shloka 1
Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत आपद्धार्मपर्वमें पवन-शाल्मलिसंवादविषयक एक सौ सत्तावनवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ १५७ ॥। ऑपनऔक्रात बछ। अ्-क्ज अष्टपञ्चाशर्दाधिकशततमो& ध्याय: समस्त अनर्थोका कारण लोभको बताकर उससे होनेवाले विभिन्न पापोंका वर्णन तथा श्रेष्ठ महापुरुषोंके लक्षण युधिछिर उवाच पापस्य यदधिष्ठानं यतः पापं प्रवर्तते । एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रीतुं तत््वेन भरतर्षभ
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: pāpasya yad adhiṣṭhānaṃ yataḥ pāpaṃ pravartate | etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ tattvena bharatarṣabha ||
Thus the one hundred and fifty-seventh chapter of the Āpaddharma section within the Śānti Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, concerning the dialogue between Pavana and the Śālmalī tree, is completed. Now begins the one hundred and fifty-eighth chapter: declaring greed to be the cause of all misfortune, describing the many sins that arise from it, and the marks of the most excellent great men. Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O bull among the Bharatas, I wish to hear the truth of this: what is the very basis on which sin rests, and from what does sin arise and set itself in motion?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a foundational ethical inquiry: sin is not treated as random but as having an identifiable ‘seat’ (adhiṣṭhāna) and a causal source. It sets up a discussion on the inner roots—such as desire, greed, delusion, or lack of restraint—that generate wrongful action.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions an elder/teacher addressed as ‘Bharatarṣabha,’ asking for a precise explanation of where sin is grounded and what triggers its activity, introducing the chapter’s moral analysis.