Shloka 1
मोक्षधर्मः — स्नेहपाशच्छेदः
Mokṣa-dharma: Cutting the Bonds of Attachment
ऑपन-आक्राता छा ् : आ अष्टस प्तरत्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: हारीत मुनिके द्वारा प्रतिपादित संन्यासीके स्वभाव
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kiṃśīlaḥ kiṃsamācāraḥ kiṃvidyaḥ kiṃparāyaṇaḥ | prāpnoti brahmaṇaḥ sthānaṃ yat paraṃ prakṛter dhruvam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Grandsire, what kind of character and conduct, what kind of knowledge, and what steadfast dedication must a person possess, by which he may attain the station of Brahman—the supreme, imperishable abode that lies beyond material nature?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames liberation as dependent on an integrated ideal: inner character (śīla), disciplined conduct (samācāra), true knowledge (vidyā), and unwavering orientation toward the highest goal (parāyaṇa). It asks what qualities lead beyond prakṛti to the imperishable Brahman.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) with a focused inquiry about the marks of a person—especially the renunciant ideal—who can attain the supreme, eternal state beyond material nature.