Shloka 1
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
अफ्-४-क+ षट्षष्ट्यधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय: महर्षि गौतम और चिरकारीका उपाख्यान--दीर्घकालतक सोच-विचारकर कार्य करनेकी प्रशंसा युधिछिर उवाच कथं कार्य परीक्षेत शीघ्रं वाथ चिरेण वा । सर्वथा कार्यदुर्गेडस्मिन् भवान् न: परमो गुरु:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kathaṁ kāryaṁ parīkṣeta śīghraṁ vātha cireṇa vā | sarvathā kārya-durge ’smin bhavān naḥ paramo guruḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “How should one examine a course of action—should it be done quickly, or only after long deliberation? In this difficult matter of deciding what ought to be done, you are my highest teacher. Please instruct us.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central dharma problem: when faced with a hard duty, one must first examine the action carefully—deciding whether prompt execution or prolonged deliberation is appropriate—by seeking guidance from a reliable moral authority.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his elder teacher (Bhīṣma in context) and asks for instruction on how to evaluate difficult duties—especially those that may be obligatory yet seem morally troubling—introducing the theme that leads into the Gautama–Cirakārī episode praising thoughtful deliberation.