Shloka 1
योग–सांख्यसमन्वयः, रथोपमा, व्यक्त–अव्यक्तविवेकः
Yoga–Sāṃkhya Synthesis, Chariot Allegory, and the Vyakta–Avyakta Distinction
भीकम (2 अमान अष्टाविशर्त्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: दैत्योंको त्यागकर इन्द्रके पास लक्ष्मीदेवीका आना तथा किन सदगुणोंके होनेपर लक्ष्मी आती हैं और 2225: 0 [ होनेपर वे त्यागकर चली जाती हैं, इस बातको विस्तारपूर्वक बताना युधिछिर उवाच पूर्वरूपाणि मे राजन् पुरुषस्यथ भविष्यत: । पराभविष्यतश्चैव तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--राजन्! पितामह! जिस पुरुषका उत्थान या पतन होनेवाला होता है, उसके पूर्व लक्षण कैसे होते हैं? यह मुझे बताइये
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: pūrvarūpāṇi me rājan puruṣasyātha bhaviṣyataḥ | parābhaviṣyataś caiva tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, O grandsire! Tell me the fore-signs by which one may know that a man is about to rise to prosperity, and also the fore-signs by which one may know that he is about to fall into defeat. Explain this to me.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: prosperity and downfall are preceded by recognizable traits and behaviors. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks criteria for discerning moral and practical trajectories—how inner character and conduct manifest as early indicators of future success or defeat.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and asks him to explain the preliminary signs that show whether a person is headed toward upliftment (utthāna) or toward defeat and decline (parābhava).