Shloka 1
Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)
ऑपन--मा जल बछ। जज: द्विषष्टितमो5 ध्याय: ब्राह्मणधर्म और कर्तव्यपालनका महत्त्व युधिषछ्िर उवाच शिवान् सुखान् महोदर्कानहिंस्राल्लॉकसम्मतान् । ब्रृहि धर्मान् सुखोपायान् मद्विधानां सुखावहान्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
śivān sukhān mahodarkān ahiṃsrān lokasammatān |
brūhi dharmān sukhopāyān madvidhānāṃ sukhāvahān ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Grandfather, please describe those forms of dharma that are auspicious and conducive to happiness—bringing great future benefit, free from violence, approved by society, and practicable as easy means to well-being—dharma that people like me can follow and that will truly yield happiness.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira frames dharma as something that should be both ethically sound (non-violent, socially responsible) and practically livable, asking for guidance on duties that reliably produce welfare and happiness over the long term.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira turns to Bhīṣma for instruction and requests a description of auspicious, non-violent, socially endorsed forms of dharma suitable for someone in his position to practice.