Shloka 1
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
/ ऑपन-मा_ज छा जज ड:: षट्षष्टितमो<5 ध्याय: राजथधर्मके पालनसे चारों आश्रमोंके धर्मका फल मिलनेका कथन युधिषछ्िर उवाच श्रुता मे कथिता: पूर्वे चत्वारो मानवाश्रमा: । व्याख्यानयित्वा व्याख्यानमेषामाचक्ष्व पृच्छत:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: śrutā me kathitāḥ pūrve catvāro mānavāśramāḥ | vyākhyānayitvā vyākhyānam eṣām ācakṣva pṛcchataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I have heard the four stages of life for human beings that you described earlier. Now, having set them forth in detail, explain their meaning to me—clarify them in accordance with my questions.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic learning: after hearing a doctrine (the four āśramas), one should seek a careful, detailed clarification so that practice aligns with true meaning.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder teacher (Bhīṣma in context) and requests a fuller exposition of the four āśramas, asking that the explanation follow his specific questions.