Shloka 16
धर्मसूक्ष्मे त्यागप्रधान्यविचारः
Subtle Dharma and the Primacy of Renunciation
अनुस्मृत्य तु शास्त्राणि कवय: समवस्थिता: । अपीह स्यादपीह स्यात् सारासारदिदृक्षया,कहते हैं, किसी समय विद्वान् पुरुषोंने सार और असार वस्तुका निर्णय करनेकी इच्छासे इकट्ठे होकर समस्त शास्त्रोंका बार-बार स्मरण करते हुए यह विचार आरम्भ किया कि क्या इस गार्हस्थ्य-जीवनमें कुछ सार है या इसके त्यागमें सार है?
anusmṛtya tu śāstrāṇi kavayaḥ samavasthitāḥ | apīha syād apīha syāt sārāsāradidṛkṣayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Calling to mind the teachings of the śāstras again and again, the sages assembled together. Seeking to discern what is essential and what is not, they began this inquiry: ‘Is there any true substance in the householder’s life here, or is the substance rather in renouncing it?’”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic method: wise people repeatedly consult śāstra and then apply viveka—discerning ‘sāra’ (true value) from ‘asāra’ (mere appearance)—to decide whether worldly duties (gṛhastha life) or renunciation better serves the highest good.
Yudhiṣṭhira reports an archetypal debate: sages gather, recall scriptural authorities, and begin examining a central ethical question—whether the householder’s path contains the real ‘essence’ or whether the essence lies in giving it up.