Shloka 2
Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra
व्यास उवाच धर्म ते सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि पुराणमृषिभि: कृतम् । विशिष्ट सर्वधर्मेभ्यस्तमिहैकमना: शूणु
vyāsa uvāca | dharmaṁ te sampravakṣyāmi purāṇam ṛṣibhiḥ kṛtam | viśiṣṭaṁ sarva-dharmebhyaḥ tam ihaika-manāḥ śṛṇu |
Vyāsa said: I shall now expound to you that ancient Dharma, composed and handed down by the seers. It is superior to all other codes of conduct; therefore, listen here with a single-pointed mind as I describe it to you.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the authority and primacy of an ancient, rishi-founded Dharma and urges the listener to receive it with focused attention, implying that ethical understanding requires both reliable tradition and disciplined listening.
Vyāsa begins a formal instruction: he announces that he will explain a venerable, sage-established doctrine of Dharma—presented as superior to other teachings—and calls upon the listener to hear it with single-minded concentration.